


OTP Challenge | Adrian Alucard Tepes x Trevor Belmont

by BlackBirdAolen



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), Castlevania (TV), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Anniversary, Another Gender, Arranged Marriage AU, As children, Fancy Dress, Festival, First Kiss, Flowers, Gaming, Historical AU, In Battle, In Formal Wear, Injury, Love Confession, M/M, Magic, Meeting Each Other's Parents, NSFW, Nightmare, One-Sided Attraction, Pickup Lines, Potential Spoiler Alert, Royalty AU, Singing, Spooning, Storms, Valentine's Day, bathing together, cooking together, proposing, spoiler warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-12-02 15:12:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11511975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackBirdAolen/pseuds/BlackBirdAolen
Summary: This will be a 30-part OTP Challenge (I forgot where I found the original list of themes...) with Alucard and Trevor. Beware of potential spoilers, as I might knowingly or unknowingly refer to elements of the Netflix series.Got a fanfic idea for me?My deviantART - full of original fiction.Snippets and ramblings on my tumblr.





	1. First Kiss

Alucard looked up and slightly to the side when he followed Trevor’s path across the room. They had found an old mansion, which had welcomed them with a protective aura. Sypha had confirmed that it was safe, and that the wards were intact enough to ward off even a large assembly of demons. Alucard had trusted her in that, but Trevor seemed uneasy. It was hard to tell what the hunter felt, really. Since some time, Trevor had been very secretive about something.

Alucard didn’t quite worry about it so much as he was wondering what was going on in this thick skull of Trevor’s. He had experienced the many facets of the hunter in the span of a few days, and it had left him wondering. He had thought of humans as relatively simple – at least less complex than vampires. But repeatedly, he was reminded of what had happened in the past. His mother had been correct all along. His father may have taught him a lot about humans, but he had been rather condescending in his teachings. He had never taught Alucard about the deeper feelings in a human heart, except maybe of those that could be used and abused.

“Quit pacing up and down. It will just wear down the floorboards, and my nerves.” Alucard had expressed it more harshly than he would have liked to, but he just couldn’t help himself. Trevor was making him exceedingly nervous, and the dhampir didn’t like that. He wanted to see the hunter calm and at ease, even snarky. Not pacing up and down like a caged animal, which didn’t know how to break out any longer. That wasn’t something that matched Trevor.

“Sorry.” Trevor had stopped abruptly, but the unease about him didn’t fade. “This house just reminds me a lot of the house that I lived in until some years ago.” He laughed quietly, but it sounded sad at the same time. “It just brings up a lot that I rather keep away from my mind at the moment. I can’t go about worrying about the past. I have to focus on the present, and make sure that the name of my family is held up in honor. If I am to die in this conflict, I at least should go down fighting.”

“You stop worrying your pretty head about that.” Alucard leaned back in the chair he had sat down in. It was rather comfortable, with a high back, and rather soft cushioning. Whoever had lived her, or still lived here, had good and expensive taste. It still begged the question how this house still was intact, and how the demons hadn’t wrecked it from top to bottom. But he supposed that some placed simply were more protected than others.

Trevor sighed, then sat down in the other chair. It didn’t stand on the opposite side of the low table between them, but rather right next to Alucard’s chair. That the hunter would just sit down so close to him without making some show of scooting the chair away was surprising Alucard. Trevor was all about provoking, but sometimes, he simply didn’t do it. As if he didn’t always have the steam to do so. It was somehow odd to behold, since Trevor quite often rather cooked up some mischief instead of being so mellow. That only happened when Trevor was exhausted, but that wasn’t the case. The hunter had slept well, and by all accounts was in perfect health.

“What’s really on your mind, Trevor?” Alucard couldn’t help it. He wondered what was going on with Trevor, and why he was being so hesitant to share his thoughts. He usually was fast to speak his mind, much to the disadvantage of the hunter and his companions. The trouble this would still get them into was immeasurable already.

“It’s hard to tell. There are many things that constantly occupy my mind. But I try to ignore them as best as possible.” Trevor was not directly looking at him. That was another unusual sign on the hunter. He tended to stare down his opposite to the point of it becoming uncomfortable. “I try to not fall apart. It is not the right time to just let go and let out all of my emotions at once. But still, it is hard to do. And I shouldn’t be bothering you with this. You have your own baggage to carry, and that is about the extent of it.”

Alucard blinked, dumb-founded. The sudden burst of emotion from Trevor had come out of nowhere. The hunter was well aware of that, since he stared down at his boots, as though something mesmerizing was showing on the rough leather. There was nothing there to be seen. Only leather that was slightly worn from the long years of use, but still intact thanks to being taken care of. That begged the question if Trevor really was taking as good care of himself as Alucard had thought. He sometimes wondered why he cared, but he supposed that it was an important factor to keep his attention at. Since, if Trevor neglected himself, it would also fall back on the team. But that was just the excuse he was trying to use in front of himself.

“Trevor, I think you should have a good talk with someone about this. But probably not with me.” Alucard was not sure how he would handle such honesty from Trevor in the long run. There was something inherently dangerous in getting too tangled up with a man of Trevor’s caliber. “Maybe Sypha can help you with some of the questions on your mind.”

Trevor nodded and got up, then promptly left the room. It had something hectic about it, and almost… annoyed? Alucard found it hard to tell. Trevor’s body language was a bit harder to read than anything else he had encountered before, since the hunter was used to hiding what he truly felt. It was a safer method than letting out all the anger without thinking around enemies.

Alucard knew he probably shouldn’t have done it, but he allowed his senses to sharpen, and focus in on what Trevor and Sypha were talking about. They met up in a different part of the house, probably just two rooms away. There, the hunter first stuttered around that he wanted to talk with Sypha about something important, immediately followed by Sypha admonishing him for possibly doing something reckless again. Trevor assured her that this was not the case. It was a matter of the soul, or probably the heart, he was not sure about that.

Alucard’s curiosity was piqued. Something bothered Trevor on that level? He hadn’t thought Trevor to be able to focus on anything but becoming stronger right now, but that just had been his impression on this whole affair. He had thought that Trevor would not give anything much of a thought other than the defeat of Dracula, and after this whole affair would maybe focus on something else again. But it seemed that he had been mistaken.

“I don’t know how to express it, Sypha. That is the whole trouble with it. Ever since we met Alucard, I have been restless, in a way that I can’t explain. I thought it had to do with knowing that we have a good chance against Dracula, or me finding my purpose again after having been lost for such a long time. But I’m not sure about that any longer. Even when I’m not immediately concerned with Dracula, I feel this restlessness taking hold. It’s driving me mad, and that is not good.”

“I would agree with you on that. Having something bothering you to that extent is always a distraction. If it is not in your conscious, then it will linger in the subconscious, and be a thorn in your side for the entire time.” Sypha paused briefly. “Grandfather told me that there is a way of getting rid of such thoughts. You have to give expression to them, at least try to. And if expression is not enough, you have to put them into action, and see the result unravel for yourself. If that doesn’t help either, then you are sick in the mind, and need an entirely different way of helping you.”

Trevor grumbled something under his breath that Alucard couldn’t understand even with his sharpened senses. He also thought that he could feel the hunter’s heartbeat. It wasn’t something that he heard, like some other vampires would have, but rather something he felt like a soft pulsing on his own skin, even if his potential victims were usually quite a bit away. It made no difference that there was at least one wall between them. There was just something that connected him to the hunter on this level, and it was almost a little creepy. Maybe Trevor had already rubbed off on him more than he would have thought, and in a manner which he never would have considered possible.

“I can’t say for sure if what I feel is an emotion I should feel. I have been so focused on training and pushing myself to my limits, and even breaking my limits, that I have no idea…” Trevor groaned. He was apparently frustrated that his thoughts were thrown for a loop. “My father once explained to me that love can do such a thing to you. Tender feelings are hard to agree with the soul of a fighter, or so he told me. I don’t know much about those matters really, and I don’t know if I should even bother to pursue this line of thinking. I’m not made to be a lover. I am a fighter through and through. So…”

Sypha didn’t laugh about it, or react in any way that would have suggested she didn’t take the hunter seriously. That was the way of a Speaker. If they encountered something like this, they were rare to think of the humans around them as weak or even ridiculous, as other mortals might have. No, they tried to find a way to make themselves understood, and to understand those around them. It was an important part of how they acquired so much of their knowledge, and how they preserved important information in the people.

“So, you are saying that you think what you are experiencing might be love-sickness?” Sypha sounded a touch surprised. “That in and of itself isn’t concerning. But you seem worried about whom it is targeted at.”

Alucard could almost hear the tension in the silence that followed. He could well imagine how Trevor just stood there, fists clenched tightly, and his teeth gritted. The hunter always had this stance when he found something very hard to put into words or to admit to. It didn’t matter much what it was, it just was something that he wasn’t quite ready to agree to. Something he knew to be true, but refused to accept without, just for one last time, refute it in his mind.

“I think it’s directed at Alucard.” The dhampir’s eyes widened when he heard the whispered confession two rooms away. “I think it is directed at him, and I don’t know why it happened. I didn’t feel like this about a man in my life, and hardly about any women that even looked my way. So, it is something that is… hard for me to just accept. Especially considering that there isn’t any way for me to confirm that he even remotely feels the same towards me in any way without making this very awkward and hard to forget for future interactions.”

Sypha agreed quietly, then seemed to think about a solution, while Trevor was nervously pacing up and down again. Alucard, meanwhile, was trying to calm his nerves. No wonder that Trevor had been exceedingly twitchy around him for some time. He had thought that it was because of some of the encounters they had had with demons, but apparently, he had been sorely mistaken. This was just completely different from anything that he would have imagined to be the case.

“I see how this is incredibly hard for you to handle, but my previous words stand as they are. You need to get this resolved, otherwise, you will forever be haunted by this feeling.” This was followed by hissed words between Trevor and Sypha. “I know that you are not happy about this, but you need to know the true nature of this connection before it eats you up. Just before the fight with Dracula too. If you worry about Alucard never finding out, then you can’t put all of your heart into it. You will possibly even lose a chance to tell him at all.”

Trevor gave an annoyed sound, but seemed to finally relent. “I shouldn’t have talked to you about this. But seeing that I don’t have much of a choice, I’ll have to go with what you suggested to me. If this turns our whole journey into something sour, then I swear I will get back at you for that.”

Sypha chuckled quietly, but it also sounded slightly sarcastic. “I do have to remind you that I could just turn you into a solid block of ice. But now go ahead and ask him already. You should have some security about this matter, and without it, you will just end up going up the walls forever. This is not a healthy way to live, and you should already be keenly aware that it is hard enough with you being a hunter.”

Trevor grumbled a few choice words, before he stepped onto the corridor. Alucard involuntarily flinched at the sound. There was something final about this. Trevor had settled his mind, and there was no way of stopping the Belmont now. If Trevor had decided on something, he would see that decision through, rarely considering who would still get involved, and what it would mean should it turn out a complete disaster. It was admirable, but also got them into hot water.

“Your advice was horrible.” Trevor had opened the door without bothering to announce his presence. Alucard had heard him approach – the steps were unmistakable – and still, he was caught off guard with the sudden entry. Trevor had perhaps not noticed the flinching, or he had elected to ignore it. He closed the door behind him, crossed the room, and sat down in the chair again, this time with a slightly more relaxed attitude. ‘Slightly’ was indeed the word to describe it. There still was a nervous air about Trevor, but now, he at least seemed to know exactly what was to be done.

“In as much was it horrible?” Alucard leaned back and tried to give himself a most relaxed appearance. “You seemed to spend enough time with Sypha that she must have given you at least a solid opinion on what to do. You seem settled.”

Alucard would have been prepared for a possibly sappy speech from the hunter, even though it was not quite what would have matched. Instead, Trevor leaned forward, and grabbed his chin lightly. Not in a way that would have suggested he was about to headbutt Alucard, but rather in a tender way, which was, again, oddly misplaced behavior on the hunter. Alucard froze up from the touch, and then because he looked directly into Trevor’s eyes. Why did the hunter have to be such a goddamned complicated man?

“I will make it plain and simple. I have started to develop this nervous feeling around you, and I thought that it might be something about your vampiric nature at first. But that is nonsense, we both know that. No, it is because my heart decided to go ahead and attach itself to you. To your way of smirking, your way of handling enemies even when they are vastly outnumbering us, your way of telling me that I should really adopt some manners…”

Alucard gave a small sneer. That was more like the Trevor he knew. Straightforward and to the point. He bit his lower lip lightly when Trevor huffed lightly. “Oh, so I gave you a hard time, hunter? I thought that our fight was more than enough to prove that I would always give you a hard time.”

A small snicker came from Trevor, then he pushed Alucard back into the chair and gave him a long, drawn out kiss. The dhampir’s breath was taken away (not that he had much use for it anyway) but he returned the contact with vigor. Trevor was such a nuisance at times, but he sure knew how to kiss. And the dhampir felt that he could very much return the feelings that were stirring in the hunter’s heart.

Their contact broke briefly, just for Alucard to pull Trevor into his lap. Trevor gave a small groan when he straddled Alucard with a bit of difficulty, but he was right back at kissing the dhampir. They had to watch out that Trevor wouldn’t cut himself on a fang, but that was growing to be their least concern. The kisses were felt with a sense of urgency, with impatience, but also with genuine softness in between all of it. Alucard was surprised to feel all of this bubbling up in this simple contact. It seemed that he continued to underestimate the hunter. And he had really thought that it was an unrefined brute challenging him when they first had met. How wrong he had been indeed.

The kiss broke, and for a whole while, the only sound was Trevor catching his breath. His face was slightly reddened, but he looked rather pleased with himself. Alucard kept him close, to take in more of the physical contact. He found he quite liked it, while before, he had always kept at least at an arm’s length to humans he encountered. Then again, Trevor had transcended the feeling of the mere human by now. The hunter was a category of his own.

“Thank you for being so honest in your emotions.” Alucard licked his lips, his eyes flashing. “And now I would quite like some more of those kisses.”

Trevor laughed lightly. “You can have those. And many more to come…”


	2. Flowers

The nights had been cold, and during daytime, the sun barely warmed the frost-bitten earth. Trevor glimpsed out into the land, sighing under his breath. This didn’t look good. The influence of the demonic hordes still was present, and it choked the land. Wallachia was suffering, and there was only so much they could do to alleviate the pain temporarily. Sypha would head out into the villages during daytime, as much as her energy would permit her to, and tried to help wherever she could. Alucard was confined to staying inside, but made up for it during the night with hunting down demons without mercy. Trevor, meanwhile, was holding back a little. He had gotten them into some pretty nasty trouble lately, and now, for a change, he wanted to keep his cool, and them out of unnecessary conflict.

“You’re still awake?” Trevor glimpsed over his shoulder at Alucard, who just had emerged from his sleeping place. The dhampir didn’t look ruffled, but rather elegant even when he just had risen from his death-like sleep. Trevor was almost jealous of that fact. He always looked like he had done battle with the pillows and blankets during the night, which made for interesting hair. “You should be resting. You’ve been out with Sypha all day long, haven’t you?”

“We weren’t out all day.” Trevor shook his head lightly. “We’re not that fragile, fangs. Admittedly, we endure less than you, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t stay awake for a while longer. Besides, sleeping during the day is not always that easy. You have the advantage there.”

Alucard gave a crooked sneer. Sometimes, the elegant features could be covered up in quite a bit of snark. “We’re not making this one of those bar fight situations again, I hope? You had to prove that you had more… balls than me the first time we met. And we both know how that ended.”

“Yes, with a draw, and both of us agreeing that tearing each other to pieces probably isn’t such a smart idea.” Trevor shrugged faintly. He didn’t feel much like debating this right now. Instead, he wanted to become calm. He did have to sleep later on, and it wouldn’t help if he got aggravated right now. That would happen, if he discussed with Alucard. Discussions rarely went over quietly with them. “Why are you bringing it up?”

Alucard came over to him, and nipped at his earlobe. Trevor shuddered slightly and tried to get him to stop. The dhampir had grown rather bold with his physical contact, and sometimes, it still made Trevor quiver involuntarily. Especially at times when Alucard still looked much like he was in hunting mode, as Trevor called it for himself. The expression of greed on Alucard’s face gave him something very menacing.

“I just wondered if you wanted to have a rematch. But currently, that won’t be possible, I suppose. You’re still exhausted, and I’m at peak form. It would be unfair.”

“It wasn’t fair the last time either. You had been resting for quite a while, and I had just gone through several floors worth of catacombs. Quite literally, unfortunately.”

“That is true.” Alucard chuckled quietly. “So, I wasn’t mistaken, then. The old mechanisms proved to be a good barrier. I did underestimate, however, how long the floors would be good to walk on. I didn’t suspect they would give out under the weight of two people. That was rather surprising.”

Trevor sighed quietly, and leaned back against Alucard. “A pain in the ass to get out of, that’s what it was. It felt like a goddamned eternity until we could finally figure out the bloody way out of this labyrinth. I’m glad we had Sypha’s knowledge and our instincts, but that still didn’t change the fact we were meters below Gresit, and in a part that officially never existed.”

Alucard had slipped one arm around Trevor, holding the hunter close still, and his lips resting on the crook of Trevor’s neck. Right above the pulsing vein that carried blood to the brain. Trevor gave an impatient grunt and nudged Alucard with the scabbard of his short sword. The dhampir understood the message well enough, but he made no move to remove his lips from the pulse point. Instead, he gave a longing sigh, then straightened his posture and pressed his nose against Trevor’s temple.

“Go to bed. You’re tense, but also exhausted. It won’t do you any good to keep yourself awake for the sake of staying alert. I will take over the watch, don’t you worry.”

Trevor yawned quietly, and gave an unwilling grunt, but he peeled himself out of the dhampir’s embrace and lifted his fingers in a lazy wave. He was still a bit grumpy from how the day had unfolded, since there had been some trouble along the way for Sypha and him. They had found a demon nest while they had been out, but it was more the aftermath of the many dead demons that had been annoying. The villagers close by had been thankful, but they also had been very apprehensive. None of them had seen the magic Sypha had used to kill the demons, so the speculation that some higher force had rescued them had made rounds.

But he would let the people believe whatever would get them through the next weeks and months. As long as their beliefs didn’t hurt anyone, it was quite alright if they believed in the benevolent soul watching over them. It was a bit annoying because it meant that they couldn’t benefit from this rescue, but if he had brought that up around Sypha, she would have murdered him with her deathstare alone. And she was good at giving him those chilling glares.

Trevor sat down on the bed with a grunt, stretching his aching limbs. It had been a busy day alright, and it had taken them longer than anticipated. He would catch some rest now, but not too much. He would not let Alucard have all the fun for himself. He, too, wanted to get some demons, and get them good. The less of them existed, the better. Of course, as long as the connection to Hell itself was open through Dracula’s castle, it wouldn’t matter how many demons were slain. In the end, they would all come back, but it would take them time. And the more time they could gain from this, the better for everyone involved in this hot mess.

He slipped into an uneasy sleep. Trevor was used to being plagued by dreams riddled with odd imagery, and since the outbreak of the demon plague, it hadn’t become any better. Sypha had speculated that it was something in Trevor’s family line that made him uneasy in times of such trouble. It seemed logical somehow, but Trevor wasn’t about to buy into it completely. Anyone would be uneasy if there were demons killing and spreading blood every single night. He didn’t see how his unease while dreaming would be different from that of a peasant shuddering in the corner of a room and praying that the demons wouldn’t find him.

Trevor rested for five hours or so, longer than he had intended. He got up, rubbing his eyes lightly, and massaging his neck. Sometimes, he got a crick in it, and it would not go away for quite a while. He never really talked about it much, since he didn’t want to seem like he was complaining for the sake of complaining. There was enough trouble afoot, and Sypha and Alucard shouldn’t have to worry about him too. Well, Alucard already was more concerned with him than anything else, so there was that.

“Good evening, sleeping beauty.” Sypha chuckled, looking refreshed and not at all like she had been working the entire day. She offered him some tea, which Trevor accepted gratefully. It was hot and warmed him from the inside. Sypha had put some freshly cut ginger into it. Wherever she had gotten that from was a mystery, but it was a Speaker thing, Trevor supposed. They were incredibly good at rustling up things where no one would even think of looking. “You seemed pretty restless again. Are you still having trouble sleeping? The dreams seemed to have been full of demons.”

Trevor yawned quietly, and took another cautious sip of tea. “I honestly don’t remember much of what I dream. It fades so quickly, it barely ever stays on my mind for longer than half an hour after waking up.” It was the truth, and the only exception to that was whenever he had those eerily realistic dreams, without those absurd elements coming in to tell him that he was just dreaming. “I suppose I dreamed about demons again. Why are you asking?”

Sypha stretched her fingers lightly. “I just heard from Alucard that he worries about your mental state a little. You seem fine enough to me, though. If the dreams truly do not faze you all that much, then there is little for me to worry about.”

Trevor nodded quietly, still feeling a bit sleep drunk. Had he really been sleeping that unwell? He couldn’t tell. He never felt particularly exhausted after a good rest, and that was the main concern for him. If he would have felt more exhausted than before, then it would have been of concern, but other than that? He was fine either way.

“He might just be worrying too much.” Trevor rubbed across his chin. His stubble was growing slowly, and sometimes soon, if he had the time, he would get a shave. But this was certainly no priority right now. “Before I went to sleep, he already was worried that we both are straining ourselves. I had to remind him that we may be human, but that it doesn’t mean that we are necessarily fragile.”

Sypha nodded in agreement. “We are human, but not necessarily weaker than him. Still, he does have more capabilities concerning endurance. Though I would not say that he is necessarily immune to exhaustion and prolonged worries lingering on his mind. They can distract him too. And this seemed to become pretty obvious when he worried about you.”

Trevor yawned again, rubbing his face lightly. He still was a bit sleep-drunk, but that was nothing unusual. He usually was quick to wake up, but since the demon invasion had started, he always took a longer while to wake up. If Sypha really was right about his family bloodline having something inherent, for making them more sensitive to demon invasions, then this prolonged tiredness after waking up definitely didn’t fit into her theory. He told her so, and Sypha gave a frustrated grumble.

“It seems that I was mistaken, yes. But it still seems to me that your family bloodline is something special indeed. There is something about you that is hard to explain, and it makes you a primary target. But I suppose anyone posing such opposition to Dracula and his hordes is considered primary targets. The poor citizens just trying to stay alive somehow…”

She trailed off, and Trevor made no effort to remind her to finish her sentence. Sypha had seen the suffering brought forth by the demons. He didn’t need to rub it in, so he would just remain quite about the whole affair. They knew what was at stake, and they knew what could be done against it. That was all they needed right now.

“Have you seen Alucard?” Trevor had not spotted the dhampir on his way to the room they shared during their waking times. “Is he out again to hunt demons and be the sleeping soldier of Gresit?”

“No, I haven’t seen him, but I suppose that he could be hunting demons again. As far as I am aware, there is not much else on his mind right now. Other than you, perhaps, but that should be nothing new to you.”

Trevor blushed briefly, but then pointedly drank his tea, without saying much more. Sypha gave a small chuckle, but didn’t press the issue more. She knew when to stop, and that made Trevor quite aware that she had figured him out pretty well. He wasn’t sure if he should be mad at her or impressed at how much thought she put into everything. Probably both.

“I think I hear him.” Sypha listened to the sounds of creaking floorboards. Alucard could have moved without causing a single sound, but that would also have meant that he had snuck up on them and scared them, in a more unfortunate scenario. Thus, he preferred to make a little noise, so that they would be aware of him at all times. Trevor set down his cup, nodding faintly, but not saying much about it. Alucard still confused him, but it was a confusion he embraced. It would have been boring if he had understood everything perfectly right away.

“I think I will go outside. Maybe, the air in this house is making me tired.” Trevor was aware that it was a rather poor excuse to elude Alucard a little. Sypha snickered behind the sleeve of her robe, but did nothing to keep him from leaving. Alucard passed him in the hallway, with a short acknowledgment, and then went into the shared room. Trevor took a deep breath, to calm his heart.

Outside, it was a bit chilly. Trevor pulled his coat around him tighter, and looked up into the skies. Here and there, some stars were showing, which was a bit of a miracle. Ever since the start of the demon invasion, the night sky had been riddled with thick clouds, barely allowing any stars to be seen. The moon often enough was visible, but only for short periods of time. And if, it was blood red.

“Ah, there you are.” Trevor flinched lightly. He had dozed off for a moment, and now looked up at Alucard. “You really shouldn’t fall asleep out here. It is not becoming of a hunter.”

Trevor grumbled something about Alucard being a pain in the butt, then abruptly got to his feet. He had noticed something out of the corner of his eye. At first, he had thought that something was trying to sneak up on them, but it was something entirely different indeed. Alucard was surprised to see him walk off so suddenly, but only until he realized what Trevor was heading towards.

Trevor knelt down carefully, and stretched out his hand. It was no illusion. In the middle of this harsh environment, a patch of flowers was growing. The cold hadn’t pushed them back much, even if the blooms were smaller than usually. He smiled lightly, feeling refreshed in a way that was new to him. Or, not so much new, as it was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Those small white flowers were something he had seen around his family’s house a couple of times. They appeared overnight, and usually only lasted for that period, but they usually were a very good sign.

“What is that?” Alucard had crouched down next to him, head cocked to the side with a fascinated expression. “I’ve never seen those flowers.”

“It has been a long time since I’ve seen them for myself. That happened long before my family was declared heretics and banished.” Trevor didn’t pick any of the flowers. He was fairly content with just observing them, and seeing how they glowed in the night. “They are considered a small miracle whenever they show up. There seems to be no other reason than them being needed in a location. I don’t think they have a name. I personally call them star blossoms – because they only come out in nights when the starry sky is visible.”

There was a new moon, one of those few nights when the blood red moon didn’t dip the entire countryside into an ominous light. The clouds had lifted for the most part, only small shreds of clouds flying across the sky with an incredible speed. Alucard nodded quietly, then pulled Trevor a little closer. “You sound like you’ve seen those blossoms before. Is there any other significance to them?”

“I just find them very refreshing to look at. I can’t really describe it all that well.” Trevor touched one of those fragile-looking flowers. They were something precious to behold. Seeing them in such times, against the odds, was a sign to him. It was a sign that not all was lost in Wallachia. There still were good forces at work, and this was the encouragement for those forces. At least, that was what the hunter tried to keep in mind. If there had been too much corruption of this soil, he was half certain that the blossoms wouldn’t have shown. In blood-soaked earth, they didn’t seem to like to grow very much.

“That is more like it.” Alucard had pulled him close, and that made Trevor lose his balance a little. Alucard just held him there, to make sure that Trevor wouldn’t tip over, and potentially right into the patch of flowers. “You seem a lot happier and calmer than before. You were pretty grumpy when you woke up.”

Trevor gave Alucard a small shove for that, which made the dhampir fall onto his butt, with Trevor half in his lap. “Well thanks for the compliment, fangs. And for your information, you cheeky brat, I’m always a bit tired when I wake up after having to deal with a ton of unnecessary trouble. That’s why I tried to keep it down this time around.”

Alucard laughed lightly. “You did? I couldn’t tell. Your usual methods are not exactly what I would describe as subtle, and the outcome is always the same. You complain about all the work you’re having with the humans around you, while you all did this to yourself. And no, you’re not getting any sympathy today. You were a very busy hunter, and you did half of this to yourself.”

Trevor grumbled about Alucard being an insufferable bastard today, but he enjoyed the contact nonetheless. The blossoms had done him some good, and they had reassured him in a way. But he still would kick Alucard’s ass in another training fight. He would not let the dhampir call him a troublemaker unpunished.


	3. Pickup Lines

Trevor stretched out carefully after a good night of rest. He had been wounded in a fight which had taken place during the late hours of the preceding day, and he still felt kind of woozy thinking about it. It had been an unfortunate misunderstanding that had caused the row in the first place. When he thought about it, he probably shouldn’t have turned the discussion whether or not it was a man’s right to show feelings of tender nature to another man into a bar fight. Alucard had warned him beforehand that he would definitely not help his sorry ass if he got himself into an unnecessary fight again, but this time, the warning had fallen on deaf ears. Much to the regret of Trevor, who had shown such deaf ears in the first place. He really should have listened to Alucard, and not played stupid.

“You’re awake.” Sypha stated it with some amount of glee. “You must have done something pretty stupid, because Alucard was livid when he returned your unconscious ass here.”

Trevor immediately blushed crimson red. Sypha had this ability to put everything into words, and in a way that made him question just how much he had messed up this time. The answer was very, and lots of it. He should just have kept quiet and listened to Alucard’s advice to not let the comments of a couple of drunk peasants get under his skin. Well, he hadn’t listened, and now he had paid the price for that. And it was uncomfortable as all Hell to still be bandaged up and winded from a simple bar fight. He had fought worse, for crying out loud. But it seemed that it hadn’t exactly helped him to be prepared for a row of that nature.

“Yes, I did something utterly stupid. Happy?” Trevor didn’t want to discuss the details, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to escape thorough questioning from Sypha. She, after all, had cared for him during his unconscious episode. And Alucard had made sure that he had come back here, which was a damned nice gesture. Alucard wouldn’t have needed to do that. He could just have left him there, and leave it at that. But Trevor supposed that, if the dhampir already cared about him, it was kind of hard to ignore his stupid ass.

“Not entirely. Alucard wouldn’t give me the juicy details of it all, and I really wanted to find out what happened. But I suppose that I can be made a happy Speaker if you would tell me about it, while I look at your bruises.” Sypha chuckled. “Oh, and you damned near cracked a rib with your stupidity. I would suggest to not lift heavy stuff for a while, else that might become a painful affair. Or really train all that much. Or get into fights at all. You got your ass handed to you big time, and that is still showing.”

“Goddammit, stop blathering already, and just take care of my sorry ass.” Trevor sighed deeply, and remained sour while Sypha began unwrapping the bandages. He quickly became very sober when he saw the result of the bar brawl. There were signs that he had warded off blades, and from the intensity of some of the bruises, he had really pissed someone off. He better kept away from bars for a long time. Even if he would miss the booze dearly, it wasn’t worth the trouble if he damned near got himself killed. He would have to apologize to Alucard soon, for his utter stupidity.

“So, what exactly prompted the bar fight? It looks like one, because you announced quite loudly that you would show Alucard some of the finer sides of life. Something which I find stupid to say about a visit to a bar.”

“Yes, it happened at the bar.” Trevor sighed quietly, wincing as Sypha began applying a thick salve onto his bruises. “I thought that it was a smart idea to show that I really have something for men, in the middle of a couple of those peasants there. Turns out, they don’t take kindly to being told that it isn’t all that bad to have a strong man by your side. And I didn’t even mean it like that at all. It was a rather innocent statement. But I guess that you won’t believe me that, will you?”

“No. Nothing is innocent with you.” Sypha shrugged lightly. “You just have a talent for making yourself out to be a fool, or a threat. Sometimes both, which is a feat that only a Belmont achieves, I suppose. And even of the whole family, only you.”

Trevor grumbled, but couldn’t talk against that. He really had never experienced another member of his family going ahead and getting themselves into trouble like that. His father had experienced many a sleepless night whenever he had been out again, and that was probably a bit of an understatement. He had achieved what no one in his family had thought possible, and even angered his grandfather to the point where he had received the beating of his life. That had been a singular event in an otherwise quite happy childhood, though Trevor supposed that he had stretched his permissions many times.

“What exactly did you say?” Sypha had stopped in her movements and looked at Trevor, curiosity and also a bit of caution in her eyes. “It must have been something that would annoy the Hell out of the others, else they would surely not have beaten you up that badly. That seems quite out of character even for you.”

“I just remarked that if I didn’t fear his wrath, I would just pick up Alucard and set him down on top of the bar.” Trevor sighed, especially since Sypha began snorting into her robe. “You think that sounds stupid?”

“A bit, if I’m honest.” Sypha laughed heartily. “You really thought it was a smart idea to allude to taking him in the middle of the bar? Because that is what I would understand. Of course, the others wouldn’t want to see that. It’s not considered normal in wide parts of the country, so why should a small tavern house the very few who would, for some reason, think that it is okay for a man to sleep with another man?”

“I don’t know. It was a spur of the moment thing.” Trevor still was red in the face, and had to endure the cheerful laughing of Sypha at the image of him trying to be sexy in a bar, under the eyes of a fair number of patrons strictly opposed to even the thought that it would be possible for two men to sleep with one another. “He teased me about my lacking training – which is utter nonsense, of course – and then had the nerve to whisper quite some naughty things into my ear, just to provoke me further. I mean, how should I keep my cool if there is a man standing right next to me, teasing the Hell out of me?”

“I suppose that it is a good reason to react to that in some way. But I would have waited for that until you were both out of earshot. So, preferably outside the tavern, well away from the door or an open window, and with the knowledge that no one would disturb your privacy. Which begs another question.” Sypha looked at Trevor with a cocked eyebrow. “How exactly did Alucard get away with that, hm? He is not exactly the least inconspicuous character to be around, and if you were reacting to what he whispered into your ear, then you might have been in trouble more than you would have liked already.”

“I don’t know why Alucard didn’t attract that much attention to himself, and frankly, at this point, I no longer really care about that.” Trevor pulled his arm away from Sypha and flexed his fingers lightly. His arms felt like he had been doing pushups the whole night. “Then again, he has a way of getting around the attention of humans. He doesn’t seem like it, but he can be very secretive and non-threatening if he just wants to be.”

Sypha nodded faintly, more focused on getting more salve onto Trevor’s bruises. The Belmont began to complain a bit about the burning feeling in his body, which prompted Sypha to tell him to relax already, and not tense up every time she touched him even slightly. Besides, he could endure it, if he already thought that it was a fun pastime to beat up peasants in a bar. The demons he encountered were much more challenging than that, and he still managed to not complain when things went awry just a little. So, why should she care about his complaints right now again?”

“I don’t know, you don’t care, and I will stop talking now.” Trevor grumbled and looked away from the bruises. He didn’t need a visual reminder that he had messed up what had shaped up to be a nice, stress-free evening with something to drink and Alucard by his side. “The next time, I will just throw a horrible pun his way, and he will be happy about it.”

Sypha poked his side for that comment. “You said you wouldn’t talk that much any longer. That doesn’t seem to be the case now. But I suppose that it is near impossible to make a Belmont shut up. Especially a talkative one as you, Trevor. If you want to, you could also tell me if that was your idea of flirting with Alucard, when there are so many options to really show that you care about him, in other words than just telling him that you would love to occupy his whole night.”

Trevor grumbled and bit his bottom lip. Sypha had an at times immensely direct way of telling him that he behaved like a moron, and that he should know better. It never were those exact words, but they stung even more than if she just would have called him a moron for what he did. He gave himself a while before he looked up at Sypha again. She was just occupied with wrapping bandages around the freshly salved parts of his arms, and then made sure that his torso was treated much the same way.

It was then Trevor noticed Alucard, who was leaning in the doorframe and watching the two of them with a somewhat bemused smirk on his lips. Immediately, the hunter’s mind was wiped clean of any thoughts, and he could just stare at Alucard. The dhampir had taken off his coat and was showing his bare upper body, with the scar running across it, and all the small little scratches that had been added over time. Some of them, Alucard just had allowed to vanish, but sometimes, he found a small scratch important enough to let it heal slowly, instead of focusing his energy into it.

“Nice to see you awake again. The combination of alcohol and getting used as a practice dummy wasn’t all that smart, it seems.” Alucard came over to Trevor and brushed across the Belmont’s head, just to tease him a little. His long fingers scratched across Trevor’s scalp, and a smile came to his face. “But I’m also glad to see that your stamina is still the same. I would have been worried that your announcement was just an empty promise of what could come. But with you being awake and aware so fast, it should be clear that you weren’t just delivering empty promises.”

Trevor’s ears felt like they were about to fall off from being so hot. This was entirely unfair, and he couldn’t help himself longing for this to just be over, so that he could curl up in his bed and somehow calm down his pattering heart. “You know that I don’t just give empty promises. If I could right now, I would just pick you up and take you against the next wall, because you tease made me think that this was the perfect idea in the middle of the pub.”

Sypha was markedly focused on just treating Trevor, while Alucard leaned back all relaxed, giving him a sneer. “So that is your idea of a pickup line. A fair warning, before you gather me up in your arms and ravish me. That is an interesting take on it, but I would still like to see results coming from this, and not just empty talk. But I suppose I should leave it to Sypha to make sure that you are able to even think about doing that. If I’m close by, thinking becomes a remarkable weakness of yours.”

Trevor could do little more than staring at Alucard, while Sypha had absolutely no trouble caring for his wounds now. The dhampir was an unfair bastard, and that was all he could really form as a conscious thought. The rest of his mind was just screaming about how perfect Alucard looked, and that he should just forget about his pain for a moment to make true on the promise he had given in the bar. It would be a horrible idea and probably end up with him having a broken rib, strained muscles, and other niceties he couldn’t afford right now, but good lord, that was not at the forefront of his mind right now.

Sypha then insisted that Trevor lay down again, which made the hunter huff in annoyance. There was no way of escaping it. He was the injured one again, and there would be no other choice for him than sleeping it off, if he wanted to really do anything in the next few nights. They would encounter more demons again, and if he wanted to be of help, then he had to pull himself together and make sure that his friends wouldn’t get into a bad situation, just because he was unable to do much.

“This blows.” Trevor let out a frustrated groan and looked down on his bandages, as if those were to blame for his miserable state, and not his own actions. “Why did I have to be the stupid one again? Why didn’t I stop myself right when I knew that it was probably going to end badly?”

“Because that is not your way of thinking, Trevor Belmont.” Alucard stretched out next to him on the bed, looking smug as before. “You think about the various pleasures in life, and about how you could possibly gain an advantage out of everything you see. I don’t blame you really, because that is the way most think when they encounter difficult situations. It would be stupid to not think of yourself if there is so much in this life that could rob you of a chance to do something you love.”

“Like drinking more liquor than I could possibly hold, and making sure that I make an utter fool of myself before anyone could ever stop me from doing so?” Trevor rolled his eyes in a mock annoyed fashion. “Yes, sure, I see where this is going. Right down to what I messed up, and how I am entirely at fault – and no one else besides me.”

“Well, I do admit that I provoked you, but you took it as far as you took it. So, in summary, yes, I blame you for what you brought on yourself.” Alucard brushed across Trevor’s cheek, which silenced any more protest that the hunter had in store. “That being said, I thought of your pickup line as very fitting. You’re not someone who beats around the bush for a long time, except maybe if it buys you an advantage over your enemies. But other than that, you are direct, and sometimes like to dive head-first into trouble as soon as it is a mere possibility.”

“That’s just a nice way of telling me that I’m a troublesome man who can’t resist just messing up whatever comes along.” Trevor sighed quietly, but he didn’t feel mad about what Alucard had told him. He found that it was quite endearing, and the admission that he liked his stupid pickup lines was a relief. He probably shouldn’t have been proud about it, but there was little to be proud about today, so he would just take it as a chance to see something as having done it right, for a change.

“Let’s look at it like this. Your love for interfering with everything brought you to my coffin, and thus began our journey together. I don’t think that this is bad, or that it could be interpreted as another misstep on your long journey. I think it might just have been that one step into the right direction after a long time that you needed. You found your resolve, and by fighting me, you reaffirmed it. Or wasn’t it so?”

Trevor nodded quietly, then turned towards Alucard (with a bit of strain showing on his face), hugging him closer to his form. “Thank you. I needed that vote of confidence from you. Sypha isn’t calling me a lost cause yet, but sometimes, I think that she is very close to it, and that she is not all that far off. I’m hard to deal with, and the many ways I get the two of you into trouble are legendary and annoying all the same.”

“Oh, I think they are amusing. What would I be doing else? Laying in that coffin, waiting for someone to wake me from my slumber, and hope that he is not a more competent fighter than I am in every single way?” Alucard shook his head lightly. “No, rather meeting a man who is like a mirror image for me in some ways. We are similar enough to like one another, but also different enough to find comfort in that.” Alucard chuckled quietly. “And with that being said, I would say that you are the highlight of my day, and hotter than the sun could ever be.”

Trevor groaned, hiding his burning face in Alucard’s chest. “One day, I will deliver a pun so bad you will want to try and strangle me. And then you’ll realize that it was a terrible idea to call me yours.”

“Of course, of course. But before that, I would like to find out just how many ways you can use that whip in.”


	4. Anniversary

It had become quiet between the group for a while. For several nights, their conversations were reduced to the bare minimum. All of them were caught up in their thoughts, and Trevor had an especially bitter memory to work on. It had been this day of the year again. The day that he had to flee his family manor, and to go on the road, after he had been excommunicated from the church. It had been a small inconvenience at first, and later, he had realized just how dangerous it had become to oppose the church. Even in small aspects, it was always the church which was to be in the right. Which absolutely annoyed him.

Sypha had let slip in one of their conversations that she, too, was not really having a good time all that much. She remembered the first time when the Speakers had been openly vilified by the church, which had happened around three years ago. She then had added that she wasn’t sure if it had been the first time really, but it had been the first time she really had noticed it, and that she had realized that the Speakers were respected amongst the people, but not whenever a priest was around, or any member of the church really. The people rather would stand by the church, instead of risking to be ousted by their community.

As for Alucard, it was a mystery what was eating him. Sypha had tried to gently pry it from the dhampir, but she had been met with silence and the occasional hissed request to just stop asking. It was odd, really, especially since Alucard otherwise would never be so openly hostile towards anyone. But it seemed that these two weeks of the year were jinxed for all of them. Prosecution came in many unpleasant forms, and it would always remain with them.

Trevor tried to put his mind off the matter with training. There were plenty of opportunities to improve on his swordsmanship, or on handling the whip, but without Alucard close by, it was somehow not the same. Sypha would create icy figurines for him to practice on, but without a moving target, the practice was quite ineffective. She made it up by creating wind figures next, but that again was lacking a little. Trevor still thanked her. It was good that she, too, was able to switch off those nasty thoughts for a while. Now they just had to find out how they could make Alucard forget about the past for a while.

At least, Sypha and Trevor had come to the same conclusion. Something had happened that had made Alucard remember something very unpleasant from his past. It would explain the defensive stance, and the hissing whenever they tried to find out what was doing on. But other than that, they could only speculate what was going on with Alucard. There was no way of telling if they were correct, and asking the dhampir right now seemed risky.

“I think we should find a way of getting it out of him. It’s not good to let something like that fester inside for such a long time. If he doesn’t talk about it, it might eat at him and, at some point, have negative consequences.” Sypha furrowed her eyebrows and thought about it. “But I can’t come up with a likely excuse to have a heart to heart. And a training session seems risky to pull off in this manner.”

Trevor nodded slowly. “He could lash out more than usually, but that shouldn’t stop me from giving him a good training fight at all. I mean, he is a friend of ours, and he is dear to us. Why should we then ignore this? As you said yourself, we should be concerned with this, and get out of him whatever it is that is making him behave in such an erratic manner. If it means that he will hiss at us some more, and maybe even show a nasty side of his, then it maybe is all the better.”

Sypha didn’t look quite convinced. “It still is a dangerous thing to do, Trevor. After all, he is a half vampire, and thus possesses terrifying powers. It could backfire, and make him feel guilty then, which would not be the intended result.”

“Things rarely go according to the exact plan laid out in the planning phase. When the two of us descended into the catacombs beneath Gresit, we didn’t plan on fighting Alucard.”

Sypha huffed lowly. “Yes, and it only happened because you had to go ahead and antagonize him, without previous provocation.”

Trevor lifted his hands. “No offense, Sypha, but it is provocation enough if a vampire shows me his fangs. That means that he is ready and willing to use them. And a vampire does have strong predatory streaks in his nature, that’s a thing you can’t deny. So, telling me that I should just overlook this and maybe try talking beforehand is a big load of bullshit.”

Sypha rolled her eyes, but then went back to thinking it over. “Look at it this way. It might be that something happened between his parents. I suppose that the relationship must have been unusually tender, for a vampire to open himself up to a human woman in such a manner.”

Trevor pulled a face. He was not in the mood to imagine someone bumping uglies with the one who unleashed the hordes of Hell upon Wallachia, but for the sake of finding out what could be wrong with Alucard, it was an inevitable thing. “If someone found out, then it couldn’t have been a very happy family for a long time. I mean, I did hear about what happened that the whole misery began.”

Sypha looked at him in surprise. “You did? I didn’t find out yet, and hearing it from you would be better than not finding out at all.”

Trevor grumbled under his breath, but then sat down on a bench with Sypha, while he toyed around with the whip. Or, rather, felt for any irregularities on the leather, so that it wouldn’t fail in the next fight. “I spoke with the bishop present at Gresit. It was the very same bishop who, a year or so prior, was in Targoviste, where a witch trial took place. He was convinced that this woman, who apparently was a doctor and helping people, was using satanic powers to disrupt the order the church had established.”

“This sounds awfully familiar.” Sypha lowered her gaze and slowly shook her head. “Even now, many people are victims of enraged and frightened villagers, who think that it will be enough to burn enough witches, so that the hordes will finally stop pursuing them. But no matter where in Wallachia they are, they will, sooner or later, be found by the demons.” She paused briefly. “I’m sorry, I… Carry on.”

Trevor leaned his head to the side. “The bishop mentioned something about the woman trying to call out to Satan. And just when she had stopped moving, stopped crying, something extraordinary happened. He saw the face of the devil in the flames.” He shook his head with a hard scowl on his face. “I’m sure that this was the face of Dracula. He was connected to that woman.” He lowered his voice. “I think that it was Alucard’s mother. I don’t think that Dracula took in several women at the same time. I don’t see him having the patience for the bickering between several women feeling scorned by the presence of the others. No, this was the one woman in his life. And the bishop felt it necessary to destroy her, because he felt threatened.”

Sypha had covered her mouth, and she looked pale. “I didn’t think that the church would lower itself to such levels. But I should have known that they will do anything to keep control. And it was to the day the year after this supposed witch had been burned that Targoviste became the nesting grounds for the demons, right?”

“Yes.” Trevor spoke quietly now. He had felt anger boiling up inside before, but now, he just felt exhausted. Remembering all the atrocities this church had committed in the name of a supposedly benevolent god was sickening. For having such a hateful message, they sure carried themselves as though they were the moral center of everything. “It must have been around that time when the persecution of everyone opposing them began to reach new heights. My family was hit even before that. I suppose we were the biggest threat, seeing that we were the ones who dealt with dark creatures. How easy it was for them to turn it around and spin it into a tale about us colluding with them, and actually providing safe passage for those demons into our world.”

“The church destroyed so much.” Sypha had closed her eyes. “I understand Dracula’s rage to some degree. Seeing how the humans reacted to something just a little outside their understanding must have robbed him of his faith in them. Even a loving woman can only do so much. If a mob of fearful villagers cries for blood, led by a ruthless man, then things can happen that shouldn’t be spoken about.”

Trevor nodded faintly. He knew what Sypha meant to say. The Speakers had suffered unspeakable crimes, as had many other once powerful and protective groups of Wallachia. The Belmont family was just one of many bearers of powerful names, which had been declared enemies and hunted down like dogs. It was no stretch of the imagination to see why Dracula would have returned the favor with a curse on the land. But it had gone on for far too long. Thousands of innocent people had died, while the church still stood strong, and fed upon the fear that had gripped the land. There were decent priests out there, but they were few and far between the corrupted ranks.

“What shall we do about it, then?” Sypha turned towards Trevor, worry in her expression. She still wanted to help Alucard, that much was clear, but they were at a point where they had a pretty good idea of what may have transpired. Besides, there was no telling if the small family had suffered prosecution before, and thus had grown wary of the human world early on.

“We should get it out of Alucard even against his will.” Trevor looked determined. “I don’t want him to keep on doing this to himself, and to us. He has friends in us, and he can trust us. We just have to beat that into his thick head. He seems to keep forgetting that he can confide in us if something bugs him. We still are the fragile humans to him. Gotta remind him, now and then, who beat his ass in the first fight.”

“Well it wasn’t you.” Sypha patted Trevor’s shoulder and stood up. “You were down and almost out, and I just held him there with a spell ready to blast him to Hell and back. Don’t know what you were doing down there.” She gave a sly smirk, which made Trevor groan. “But, yes, you should get it out of him with a good fight. It never hurts that the two of you practice getting on each other’s nerves. It helps both of you, and it is cathartic for me. Especially because it means that I don’t have to listen to you complaining about everything again.”

Trevor shot her another glare, then walked out and went to look for Alucard. He had to get the dhampir away from those dark thoughts, whatever the exact nature of them was. And if it turned out to be like they had suspected it, it would be even better if they could get it out of him fast. He had to look around the house they had stayed in for this night for quite a while, before he discovered the dhampir sitting in a dark corner, staring at his sword with a lost expression on his face.

“Hey, Alucard.” The dhampir flinched when Trevor spoke to him. That was a bit unexpected. “Want to have a training fight with me?”

“I think I’ll pass for tonight.” Alucard sheathed his sword, then pulled his cloak around himself, as if he was freezing. That was odd to behold, since Trevor had heard that Alucard had barely any trouble with the temperatures around him. It seemed that his and Sypha’s hunch was correct, then. Something had shaken the dhampir badly. “Don’t you have Sypha, to get on her nerves?”

“No, I’m here, and I will get on yours.” Trevor sat down in front of Alucard, and crossed his legs. “Your behavior has us worried. I know, we are all grown-ups, and we can care for ourselves, but sometimes, you have to admit to yourself that you’re not okay. And that is what is not happening right now, when it should happen. You are not okay with something, and it is our goal to find out what is shaking you so badly. If you don’t want to talk about it, we will have to get you to talk about it.”

“It is fine.” Alucard was gritting his teeth, but he looked away from Trevor, instead of confronting him. The dhampir felt really out of his element, it seemed. “You shouldn’t bother with something like that.”

“I shouldn’t? That’s quite rich, coming from you.” Trevor didn’t move away an inch, even when an angry glare pierced into him. “You have been acting like a feral beast since some days. That is worrying, and nothing else. I’m not going away until you at least explain why you have been acting like someone who didn’t just sleep a whole year, and instead got to stay awake the entire time, while being annoyed by a horde of five-year olds all wanting to play stupid games.

“ _Fine_.” Alucard looked deflated the moment he had spat that word out, as if it was something icky between his teeth. “If you must pester me that much, then I will just come to the moment of truth.”

Trevor lifted his hand, which both confused and annoyed the dhampir. “I don’t want to find out because I’m curious. I want to find out because you need someone to talk to, but won’t admit it.”

Alucard huffed, but then stared down at his hands, muttering something about that pesky hunter being much too curious again. “I remembered something that happened in my childhood, if you will. I grew up differently from a human child, I’m told, so I can’t say how much of this will be understandable to you.”

“Just try to put it into words even a dense hunter like me can understand.”

Alucard involuntarily gave a smile at Trevor’s self-deprecating comment, and thought it over. “I heard Sypha and you talk. About how you think that something must have happened that I’m in such a terrible mood. It’s not that far off, and yet…”

Alucard made a helpless gesture, but Trevor didn’t show a sign of being annoyed. He just was worried about what was to be explained, not about whether or not it was pertinent to this specific day. “Just spit it out already, fangs.”

“I overheard a group of farmers talking about an old woman with strange devices, and how she is acting very strangely ever since the demon outbreak. I’m sure that they are trying to convince themselves that she holds the key to getting rid of the demon hordes, and it sickens me to the stomach. I just can’t endure this thought. They are trying to convince each other of killing a helpless old woman, who just picked up scientific knowledge, without any harmful intentions. And it just reminded me so much of what happened to my mother… of what happened before she died, and after she…”

The dhampir’s voice faced, and he was clenching his teeth hard, to try and not lose his cool. Trevor sighed quietly, then pulled the dhampir into an embrace. “Then say something, you big doofus. That’s not the kind of stuff you just eat up and stay quiet about. You need to talk about something like that. Hell, I shouldn’t be the one to talk to you about this, it should be Sypha giving you an earful about how withdrawn you’ve been. But since I’m here already, and since I’m the big dense hunter, it’s only fair that I beat some sense into that thick skull of yours.”

“You’re terrible.” Alucard had mumbled against Trevor’s shoulder, now sounding more exhausted than anything else. “You put into words what I couldn’t. And, yes, that would be Sypha’s job. She’s good with words, you’re good with… something, I don’t know quite yet.”

“Well gee, thanks.”

Trevor still held Alucard close, so that the dhampir could gather his bearings again. Having been so stressed out in the past days must have taken a toll on the dhampir, and that was the reason why Trevor wanted to make sure that Alucard would get all of those bad feelings out of him before they traveled on. The training fight was long forgotten. If it just took some standard dense Belmont attitude to get Alucard to finally speak about what could barely be put into words, then it was better that way, he supposed.

“Better now?” Trevor looked down at the dhampir, who had leaned into him with his full weight. Trevor wasn’t fazed by that. The dhampir felt lithe compared to him, which Alucard had liked to point out when he once had carried Trevor over his shoulder. All in all, the dhampir was stronger than him, but it seemed that in such times, even big bad fangs would need a shoulder to cry on, and just talk about some bad memories.

“A ton. I didn’t know that your words could help so much, and not just serve as a spiteful reminder that a Belmont is incorrigible in all matters fighting.”

“Psh, I think I still should take you out to the training yard and have a go at you. You’re cheeky again, and that’s not nice of you. After all, I made you feel all better, and that should be rewarded, don’t you think?”

“If I teased you about what you just said, you wouldn’t get it anyway. So, let’s just head out.”

Trevor groaned. “I know what I said and how it can be taken!”

“Yes, yes, sure. Now take up that attitude as a weapon and don’t just talk.”


	5. Love Confession

Trevor’s head was hurting like Hell and worse. He had been drinking a fair amount of ale the last time he had found a decent bar, and that, of course, hadn’t come without repercussions. He was feeling like a swarm of angry bees was dancing around in his head, and stinging him at every possible opportunity. His mouth was dry and began to feel much like fur was growing on his tongue (a most unpleasant thing), and overall, his body could have used a lot less alcohol still coursing through his veins.

But he was alright, he guessed. He hadn’t been beaten up (as far as he could recall), he hadn’t gotten himself into trouble (a miracle, if he really remembered that correctly), and there was no need to worry about much right now. Except, maybe, for Sypha to give him an earful for the amount of drinking he had done that past night. There were no words to describe how much Trevor didn’t want to encounter an angry Sypha Belnades right now. She was just the person who would make this hangover feel so much worse. Alucard, of course, was an entirely different case there. He probably would just huff about it and brush it off as something only a foolish human would do. Or, really, a foolish hunter named Trevor Belmont.

“You’re finally awake.” Sypha looked down at him, not really angry, but rather just exasperated. “I think that we didn’t have to worry that much about you when you went out and took down that Warg that was threatening Gresit shortly after our departure. Why again do we put up with you anyway, hm?”

“Because you can’t resist my wonderful smile, and the way I take down monsters?” Trevor grinned, though it was a pained expression. He really felt like someone had run him over with a cart packed with stones a couple of times. Not a nice feeling. He should just roll over and go back to sleep, but with Sypha looking down at him, it wasn’t that easy. She just had a way of making him feel guilty, even when he hadn’t done anything wrong. Or, maybe, there had been something that had gone terribly and utterly wrong. At any rate, he couldn’t remember, and that was the annoying bit. So he looked to her, with a questioning expression.

That seemed to jog Sypha’s memory. “Oh, yes. I should tell you, from Alucard, that the next time you’re so piss drunk out you tell him that he had pretty hair and that you would love to snog him in the middle of a bar packed with burly farmers, he will personally whoop the drunk part out of you and then kick your sober self so hard your ancestors and descendants will all feel the pain.”

It was about at that point that a faint memory of the described scene came back to Trevor, and he groaned softly. Oh Gods. So much for not having gotten himself into trouble. If Alucard was pissed enough for wanting to hit him, then he had fucked up pretty badly. There was no way of putting this into words other than saying that he had fucked up. Sypha didn’t offer much sympathy, though. She just handed him a mug full of what looked like muddy water, telling Trevor that it would cure his hangover in just about half an hour. He of course would feel miserable throughout, but that was a given. She wanted to make him feel that hangovers not only caused him trouble, but everyone around him.

The next half hour, Trevor spent regretting that one mug of ale that had tipped him over into “piss drunk” territory. He laid half sprawled across a table, grunting and muttering over and over again that this was just the worst way of suffering for a hangover. Right after getting told off for being such a hopeless drunk. Sypha had made it very clear that the next time he would even think about drinking too much, there would be words, and consequences. She had about enough of caring for his drunk ass, and Alucard felt very much the same about it.

Alucard later joined him at the table, but didn’t speak with him yet. Trevor had a hunch that the dhampir had a choice of words for him too, so he didn’t bother to stop grumbling for quite some time, even after Sypha’s mixture showed its effects and cleared his head in a few moments. He then, after a prolonged silence, lifted his head, looking up at Alucard. The dhampir looked like elegance incarnate as usually, no sign on his face that he was here to yell at Trevor for being an inconsiderate bastard. That, at least, was a plus. But it still didn’t mean that it would be nice for Trevor to sit through this.

“I see you finally are amongst the living again.” Alucard’s tone gave away little. He was a bit annoyed, but that had become his standard tone with Trevor. Trevor gave a pained grin, but didn’t look away. He was angry that he had messed up, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t ready to face the consequences. “Did you really have to drink too much last night again? It was hard dealing with you on the way back here. Sypha almost didn’t let us in, because she was just about as fed up with you as I was. I would have remained outside if it wasn’t for that small problem with me being a touch sensitive to sunlight.”

“Oh.” Trevor felt like an idiot now. He had almost made Alucard stay out for a dangerously prolonged time? Then again, Sypha wouldn’t let them remain outside on purpose for too long. She saw them as valuable allies, even if she was thoroughly annoyed by their ongoing bickering. She had learned to deal with the annoying bickering right away, but that didn’t mean that she enjoyed it in any form.

“You don’t look like you recall a lot of what has happened, so allow me to enlighten you, under the condition that you will not drink yourself into a stupor the next time we are at a bar. I will personally oversee your consumption of alcohol, and if I see it approaching dangerous levels, then I will absolutely take measures to make you feel just how much of a bad idea this is before you ever have the chance of getting a hangover.”

“Alright.” Trevor had pulled his head between his shoulders in shame. The way Alucard talked to him reminded him of the tone mothers used to scold their children, without yelling at them. A firm, and most of all disappointed tone, which just managed to sting where it mattered. Right in the conscience. “I swear that I will not get myself drunk again anytime soon. Really.”

“Good.” Alucard leaned back, shaking his head and sighing. “I already thought that I knew how much of a nuisance you become when you’re drunk, but this really exceeded what I had expected. Your groping at my ass was just the tip of the iceberg really. Between the slurred speeches that no one could understand, not even those people as drunk as your sorry ass, you always turned to me, confessing your… doubtful love towards me.”

Trevor blinked at Alucard, half expecting the dhampir to break into laughter and telling him that it was just a joke. But no such laughter came, and slowly, the heat began creeping up Trevor’s neck. That had to be a lie, a blatant excuse to make him feel uncomfortable. But the way Alucard looked at him told him that it was just the truth. The dhampir had no obligation to tell him the truth, but he also had no reason to lie to him. Trevor scratched the back of his neck, which was beginning to sweat from the intense heat of shame.

“I… I confessed my love to you?” He shook his head slowly, and tried to turn it into a joke, but nothing would come to mind. He wasn’t here to joke around, after all. He was here to get an earful for his continuous reckless behavior. “I-If that is the case, then you should know that it is sort of hard to tell what a drunk person really is thinking.” From Alucard’s tired smile, he could tell that the dhampir didn’t think so. Trevor rubbed across his face, trying to ignore the heat that still was creeping higher and onto his cheeks. “I mean, I say a lot of stupid stuff when I’m drunk, especially when I’m drunk enough to start groping around…”

“Why are you trying to hide the truth, Trevor?” Alucard shook his head. “You certainly have some things on your mind that are never really spoken about. Now is the opportunity to have all of this rectified, and to set straight what you slurred out the last night. But that doesn’t sound like the honest and straightforward hunter that I know. So, I ask you again. What of what you said last night holds up, and what is just banter that is to be expected when you’re not quite yourself?”

Trevor sighed, then looked down on his hands. “I would have to know what exactly I said last night to tell you that. I don’t remember all of it. I had a blackout after some time. But I felt a bit twitchy today, when I woke up. I suppose that I really began telling you how much I love you. But I’m not sure how I phrased it. It’s kind of important, you know.”

Alucard sighed, but then leaned forward and began to recount, word for word, what Trevor had said. Most of it made the hunter nod faintly, because it sounded like what he would slur out when he was in a drunken stupor, but some of it didn’t make sense. Especially how he had said it. Because in the middle of it, his language seemed to have become a lot more flowery than usually, and that just boggled his mind.

“So, wait, wait.” Trevor furrowed his eyebrows, and mouthed the words he had uttered during the night. “I said it like that? That doesn’t sound quite like me, wouldn’t you agree?”

“No, it doesn’t.” Alucard did seem faintly amused now. “But I suppose that I rubbed off on you in more ways than just one.” The dhampir’s eyes shimmered with amusement, and Trevor finally could feel the heat in his ears, too. Yep, there it was. The beet red hunter face, that Alucard always was so pleased to see when he teased Trevor to the point that the hunter felt ashamed. “What, are you being shy all of a sudden? That doesn’t match the self-assured hunter I know.”

Trevor cleared his throat, but it didn’t help much, obviously. Now Alucard wasn’t really poking at his pride, but more at the feeling that there might be a little more. The slurred love confessions might be closer to reality than the hunter thought should be normal. Maybe, it was just the dhampir’s influence. The vampiric nature was, after all, a tempting one, even if it was scary in other respects. His brain hurt just thinking about it, and he couldn’t even blame it on the hangover any longer. Sypha’s mixture had worked almost too well for his taste.

“Now you’re just trying to get a rise out of me. I don’t even know in which way, and I don’t intend to find out.” Trevor slowly got up. As far as he was concerned, it was far too uncomfortable here right now, and he really wanted to get some fresh air. Much to his discomfort, the dhampir followed suit, still with a grin on his face. “You’re not seriously trying to tell me that you will pursue this line of questioning even further?”

“Oh, I will. I just love seeing you in such discomfort. You’re much too cocky most of the time for your own sake, and for our all good.” Alucard chuckled quietly and led Trevor outside, while the hunter inwardly cursed the dhampir from high Heavens to Hell and back again. “After all, you gave me a hard time yesterday as well. And if I can’t get some satisfaction after all this annoyance for all this time, then I really don’t know what I should look forward to today.”

“You’re really just trying to get some satisfaction out of this right now. This has nothing to do with retribution any longer.” But Trevor couldn’t resist this opportunity really. If he did it right, he could just turn this onto the dhampir, and maybe make him bugger off. Then, Trevor would have all the time in the world to consider just how much ale was worth to him. He did love to get drunk, and ale had helped him through many times in his life, but lately, it was just causing problems upon problems. Especially problems which got him into embarrassing situations, and that was really not worth it.

“Are you considering giving drinking up as a pastime now?” Alucard looked smug about it all, and Trevor rolled his eyes. Was the dhampir just fucking around with him so that he would not touch a mug of ale again? “Because it really would be easier on your wallet as well.”

“Oh well, I don’t know. If this turns out to be some elaborate scheme between Sypha and you, then I will turn back to drinking faster than you can yell my name in frustration.”

Alucard’s expression barely flinched, and then, he pulled Trevor into a rather awkward hug, since the hunter tried to struggle free right away. There was no warning, just the dhampir going in for the hug, and that irritated Trevor. “Just hold still for a moment, you insufferable idiot. You’re giving us all worries, and we’re just about done playing your substitute parents.”

“Ouch.” That really stung. Trevor sighed, but then buried his nose against Alucard’s shoulder. The tall dhampir gave him the feeling of really being a youth again, who was just being held by his father. Was it really the feeling that he was giving his two friends? That they had to care for him like for an impudent child? That was not what he had intended. And he really wanted to give them a feeling that they were his comrades, important to him. Not just pawns he could live it up with, and occasionally abuse as shoulders to cry on. That was just not right.

“I’m sorry.” Trevor’s voice was low and a little rough. The pain of losing his family still was rather fresh, but he wasn’t about to cry right now. He just felt really guilty that he had caused such a row for his friends, and he felt bad that they always had to deal with the fallout. “I just forget sometimes that you are around, because I’m already feeling so familiar with you and Sypha. And it just…”

“It’s alright. But you better give up on drinking. It’s not good to be inebriated when we are going out to hunt down demons regularly, and on such short notice. It’s not like we are getting warned ahead of time all that much. So, you would do us a big favor if you stopped giving us a headache every other day. It would also benefit you. I know that it is hard to stop those little pesky habits, but it should be an easy time for a disciplined hunter, shouldn’t it?”

“Yes, it should.” Now Trevor was getting slightly annoyed again. Alucard just knew how to pick at his pride, and it just hurt to know that Alucard was observing him so closely all the time. And it hurt even more to know that Alucard was right in all of those aspects. The dhampir was beginning to know him better than he knew himself, and that was just plain annoying all around.

“Now, did we learn a little lesson today, my dear hunter?”

The change of tone irritated Trevor, and he gave Alucard a look that expressed this irritation. The dhampir began laughing, and he waved apologetically, but Trevor just about had it. He groaned, then gave Alucard a slight shove. “You’re really just trying to get a rise out of me now! That is not fair!”

“Oh, it is very fair. You are annoying both me and Sypha to a degree I didn’t even think possible. So, you will shut up, and put up with everything that is happening around you, or else.”

Trevor rolled his eyes, then sighed quietly, before he just sort of gave up on trying to make Alucard stop. But he did enjoy the dhampir laughing like that. It happened rarely, and it was good to hear that Alucard hadn’t lost his sense of humor, even with the annoying situations Trevor put him through.

“I would like to know one thing, though.” Trevor gave Alucard a long stare. “If I told you now that I loved you – theoretically speaking – then what would your answer be? Because, my drunk ass of course wouldn’t remember anything that had happened around that time. I would like to hear that from you now. So, fangs, what is your answer?”

Alucard bit his lower lip, then looked to the side. “I… I’m not sure how to describe this, really. I doubt that you would tell me that you loved me openly while sober, to be fair. It seems far-fetched to expect that coming from you.”

“Well ouch, fangs. But really, what would your answer be?”

Alucard gave Trevor a glare, obviously not happy with having the situation turn on him like that. “I was going to question you, not the other way around. But if you absolutely must know, then I will of course say that I’m quite flattered by such a confession, which didn’t happen under the influence of my nature. It’s exceedingly hard to influence you if one isn’t composed entirely of alcohol.”

“Oh, screw you.” Trevor rolled his eyes, but the tension between them had dissipated. “Come on. We’re going to have a training fight. Loser has to tell Sypha about his heartache.”


	6. Gaming

A calm night, for a change. Trevor barely had believed their luck, but it was a nice change to not have to head out to make sure that no one was endangered by some monster again. Instead, there was just a lot of time for them to relax, and maybe attend to some other things they didn’t have much time for doing. In his case, it was playing chess, which he hadn’t done ever since his family had been wiped out. It was a little painful to think about it, but it also helped to know that he had someone around him who would be able to play against him. In this case, it was Alucard, who with some hesitation had agreed to play.

Alucard soon enough seemed surprised, though, as the dhampir had severely underestimated Trevor. Trevor found that extremely amusing, but outwardly put on a dreadfully bored expression, while Alucard was scratching his head about how he could be so good at chess. Having played hundreds and hundreds of times with his father and grandfather, as well with his uncle, Trevor understood quite a lot about the different tactics, and how to predict what his opponent was most likely to do next. That also helped in other battles, to predict patterns, and to already know how to react before the mind had any chance to form a conscious thought about it.

“And that is another checkmate for me.” Trevor leaned back, a pleased smile on his face, while Alucard was definitely stumped as to why he had lost the third time in a row already. “Are you sure that you’re focusing on giving it your best?”

“Yes.” Alucard sighed quietly, leaning back as well and shaking his head slowly. “I don’t understand how you keep doing this. I change my strategy around and try to be unpredictable, but still, you have me beat. It is as if no matter how the game starts, you are already destined to win.”

“That is nonsense, and you should know it better than blaming it on fate already having decided for us.” Trevor was honestly a little disappointed that Alucard would think like that. It didn’t match the dhampir at all. “It is all a question of how much you have played, and your way of thinking about it. This is the one thing I have trained myself to become good at, so don’t sour the experience for me.”

“Well excuse me.” Alucard did look amused again, though. He just loved teasing Trevor a little too much. And Trevor was keenly aware of that, so he did the dhampir the favor this time around and allowed for the teasing to go a little further than usually. “I didn’t know there actually was a very bright mind hiding behind that ever-stubborn hunter I encountered. And I especially didn’t expect to be beaten three times in a row with completely different tactics. You definitely know a lot about playing chess. I am surprised that you haven’t outright beaten me that one time we did actually fight in a life or death situation.”

“First of all, it wasn’t really life or death. It was me proving a point.” Trevor felt that he could tease right back. Alucard was asking for it, and so he would gladly return the favor. “And besides, Sypha pretty much ended our battle right before we could get to the death part anyhow. I’m actually rather glad that happened. It would have robbed us of the chance to find out who can whoop whose butt in a game of chest. So, do you want another round, or are you done for tonight?”

Trevor was wondering if he could make Alucard play more, and from how it looked like, the dhampir definitely was up to the challenge. Sypha looked into the room briefly, then sighed quietly, but she didn’t interrupt them. Trevor set up the pieces again, and their fourth game of chess commenced. As before, Trevor was watching closely how Alucard decided to move his pieces. His grandfather had explained quite well that there were countless ways to play a game of chess, but there always were tell-tale signs how it would unfold. There was only a handful of ways a person would decide to move the pieces, and to learn how to predict a game several turns ahead of the opponent was an art that Trevor had honed through countless games with his family. By now, he thought that he had a rather solid grasp on how his opponent would behave, and after the three games, he had seen that Alucard was unconsciously always following a certain pattern. And if it would show up in this game again, he would counter it just the same way as he had in the first game.

Halfway through their game, Alucard seemed to realize what he was doing, so he forced himself to change up his strategy. But that didn’t matter to Trevor either. He calmly assessed the situation, and no matter how long Alucard took to actually decide on moving a piece, Trevor had decided in only a few seconds. That seemed to further unsettle the dhampir, and he finally made several mistakes in a row, which cost him the small lead he had gained over Trevor during the game.

“I don’t understand this.” The dhampir looked almost shocked, and still was shaking his head, while he stared at the board. Trevor still had half of his pieces, while Alucard’s pieces, except for one rook, all stood next to the board. “I thought that I had a foolproof strategy this time, and it again completely failed to surprise you.”

“I’m going to give you a piece of advice that my grandfather gave me after some of my first games.” Trevor leaned forward a little, while he set up the pieces for a new game. “You must never rely on one strategy alone. That is a severe disadvantage in a game of chess. You must be able to make tactical decisions at every turn, and be able to predict what might happen. Knowing what might happen is worth much more than sticking to one tactic. Just having one way of doing things is the best way of getting beaten several times in a row. So, as much as you think that your strategy is fool-proof, never rely on that. You must always keep a clear mind and see what is happening, not what you wish to happen.”

Alucard sighed quietly and scratched his temple. “I still am confused. You usually have a terrible habit of getting ahead of yourself and getting us into more trouble. But here, you are so calm and focused that it is actually rather scary. Much like when you are in a fight.” The dhampir leaned his head on one hand, thinking it over. “When we fought for that first time after I woke up, I could see that you were very self-assured, and quick on your feet. Not one time throughout our fight, you faltered, or showed signs that you were intimidated by me. Instead, you watched closely how I moved, and always had something at the back of your mind that would save you in just about any situation.”

Sypha had come in during Alucard’s words, and now set down a cup of steaming tea next to Trevor, which he thankfully accepted. “That is the way of the Belmonts, simple as that. They are cunning bastards, and when it comes to ways of defeating foul beasts, they don’t know any mercy. And it doesn’t surprise me that he also knows how to whoop your ass even in a game. As soon as there is a clearly visible strategy, Trevor will find a way to beat you. That would probably explain why he is so rotten bad with people.”

Alucard choked his laughter behind his hand, while Trevor frowned at Sypha’s statement and grumbled about her not being very nice to him. But she might have had a point, actually. Trevor was good with situations where it was clear that there was a path he could follow, and it would not fail him. However, if he was involved with people, then he repeatedly had trouble really admitting to what he might be doing wrong. That also had led to him getting beaten up in that one pub before he had come to Gresit, and again rousing the anger of the people when he had so openly antagonized a leading figure of another village. That last one had only been defused because the villagers still had enormous respect for the Speakers, and Sypha had been clearly visible to be one of them. That had saved their necks, and spared them a night of trouble.

Sypha, after two more games of chess (both of which Trevor won) became curious, and she actually sat down and tried to beat Trevor. In the end, however, he had her beat even worse than Alucard, with a whopping three fourths of Trevor’s pieces remaining, while she had only lost her king and three pawns. Then Alucard and Sypha played against one another, with it ending in a drawish situation. They blinked at each other, then Alucard sighed quietly. “I suppose we are equally bad at this. At least we now know that Trevor has at least one strength, even if he gets us into hot water most of the time.”

Trevor snickered quietly, and then gently pushed Alucard. “That is not very nice of you to say it like this. But I’ll accept it as a somewhat skewed compliment, alright? Then you won’t have to deal with me getting all that pissed off at you again.” He paused for a moment. “Since chess seems to frustrate the two of you so much, I would like to suggest… perhaps another game?”

Sypha furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. “Ooph… I don’t know many games that could be played by two people, honestly. Most of the games I learned were to occupy myself in the rare case there was nothing for me to do.”

Alucard sighed quietly. “I know only Nine Men’s Morris. My mother used to play that with me when she felt a little stressed out and needed to relax her mind. She even tried to…” He bit his lower lip, but Trevor could imagine what Alucard had wanted to say. Lisa Tepes, the one woman that had possessed the immense courage to waltz up straight to Dracula’s gate and demand knowledge in exchange for teaching him about humanity, had tried to teach the vampire lord to play a board game. Trevor would have loved to think that Lisa had succeeded. But that changed little about what the situation was right now.

“I could play with you for a while, if you want to. And I won’t be so horribly competitive as I am with chess.” Trevor saw Alucard’s surprised expression, then, a smirk spread on the dhampir’s face. Sypha chuckled about that expression and went off to make another pot of tea for them, while Trevor cleared away the chess board, and waited for Alucard to gather some colored stones for Nine Men’s Morris. Trevor had never played it, but Alucard could give him a good explanation of the rules, as well as quick demonstration how some situations could play out.

Even when it seemed a lot simpler than chess before, Trevor soon noticed that there were actually quite a few ways to go about it. Victory could be achieved by varying degrees, and sometimes, taking away one piece from the opponent actually created a disadvantage, which could swiftly be turned against one. It was interesting to see, and soon enough, Trevor was absorbed into the game. He didn’t win as many times as before, but that was no problem to him. He didn’t want to frustrate Alucard endlessly, and if that meant that he had to hold back his enthusiasm for games a little, then it was good.

Sypha joined them again after a while, and all in all, the evening passed in a pleasant mood. They had learned from one another, even if those details seemed to be innocuous on their own. Put together, they revealed more of the people they were underneath their shells. Trevor also had the feeling that it helped Alucard to play the board game his mother had taught him. While there obviously were still many memories harrowing the dhampir, Trevor could also see that playing such a fondly remembered game brought joy to Alucard’s heart. That convinced the Belmont even more that, under all the vampiric pretense, Alucard still was a very human being. He carried much of the gentle spirit of his mother, and it simply showed in his actions. Even if there was doubt in Alucard’s mind, there was none in Trevor’s. Alucard was just as human as Sypha and him were.

“You’re not that bad of a gloating winner actually.” Alucard snickered, leaning back after they had finished a dozen or so games of Nine Men’s Morris. He looked a bit tired, but also contented. He actually was smiling, without malice or sass behind it, which was a rare enough sight. Trevor quite liked that smile on Alucard’s face, but didn’t tell him so directly. The dhampir would notice soon enough. “I know that you deserved those victories, but it was frustrating to not seem to have a chance at all against you. Now I know why the Belmont family was so feared. You just don’t give up until you have your enemy figured out to the last detail, and then you mercilessly abuse that knowledge to crush them.”

“That is pretty much the Belmont way, yes.” Trevor laughed, finding that it was easier to talk about his family when it happened in such a fond fashion. He wondered if this was a sign that he was slowly healing from the night that had robbed him of so much. “We weren’t known to be one of the more powerful families of Wallachia for nothing. Like many roots of the big families, we worked hard to achieve that status. I suppose we were one of the few, however, to work for that status with each new generation. I don’t want to badmouth the other great families of Wallachia, but in the greater scheme, most of them had resigned to just wave around their big name and barely have anything to show for.”

Alucard chuckled, then picked up the black knight and the white rook from the chess set. “I think I have seen some similarity of your way of handling a fight with the way some of the chess pieces move. You seem like a straightforward man, and only focused on one thing.” With that, Alucard set down the rook on the Nine Men’s Morris board, just in front of Trevor. “But beneath that, you are someone who is planning for eventualities. Who knows how to swiftly adapt in situations when it is a must.” With that, he set down the knight, just behind the rook, making it look like the black chess piece had ambitions to backstab the white piece. “Even when you are faced with the queens of this big game of life, you never would back down, not even for a moment. I just can’t seem to imagine you giving up at any point in time, and that is quite something from my side. I would not have admitted it any earlier… but I think that if you had put even more fire into that first fight when we had met? I would have lost.”

Trevor blinked, then slowly shook his head. “No, I still think that it would have been a close call. Comparing real life with chess is a little dangerous. Sure, many of the great evils think of humans as pawns. I can see how that would tempt them to think of their plans as chess games. But when you look at it, there’s a lot more than 32 pieces moving on the board.”

Alucard laughed lightly, shaking his head. “If I didn’t know any better and assumed right now that you are unable to pick up on sarcasm, I would really question myself how I could possibly lose to you in a fight or in a game of chess. But fair enough. You have a point there. Because in the game of life, and in the many ploys of those who deem themselves the players, they often fail to see that there are more than two players, and that they are not the only ones able to think around corners and bend their minds in order to understand their opponent.”

“And that is the exact reason why I see no reason to hold back in our adventure, and to not invest our best performance in making sure that Dracula will feel this one for ages to come.” Trevor snickered quietly. “I know that it is a tall order to go up against the one vampire that is deemed to be one of the first – if not _the_ first – but that won’t hold me back. I have nearly managed to beat you, a direct descendant of him, so I’d wager that I have a good chance to find a weakness in Dracula’s tactic. And as long as I have Vampire Killer and you two by my side, I think we have the best chance there is.”

Sypha blushed a little, then shook her head with a laugh. “You’re so incredibly optimistic today, Trevor. Are you sure that this is not just all of those chess games that have gone to your head? It seems an awful lot like you’re bragging right now, about deeds you haven’t done yet.”

“I see it as a way to put into words what I expect of the future, and what I plan to make reality once the time is right.”

Alucard nodded slowly, then stood and looked out of the window. “That is a good idea how to go about this. You don’t seem to be too confident either, but also not defeatist in your approach. I think… I think you are right about the chance of beating my father. No, I not only think it. I’m becoming convinced of this myself.”

Sypha nodded in agreement, smiling now. “Then it is settled once and for all. We will defeat Dracula. There are no doubts any longer, if there even where any at all between first teaming up and now. But, we should probably go to sleep. Even such determination can’t replace a good night’s rest.”


	7. Injury

Alucard carefully paced forward, beckoning Sypha and Trevor to follow him slowly. They had been asked to look into the strange noises coming from the old mill by a village. The only thing they had been told in detail was that, ever since the darkness had spilled forth from Targoviste, strange lights had been seen, and there was a chilling howling ringing out now and then in a moonless night. The three had looked at each other and first thought the same – that a werewolf might have taken refuge in the mill, for some odd reason. But why it would remain there and not attack, but instead torment the village with fear-inducing howls, was a mystery to them. Maybe it was wounded, and due to the curse couldn’t die. But something else seemed to be behind it.

“I don’t much like traversing into an area I know so little about.” Alucard looked everything but happy, while Trevor was more focused on pacing ahead, scouting the area and trying to find possible threats lurking nearby. The dhampir hated admitting it in front of himself, but he was worried that the Belmont could be ambushed, and then, they might not have enough time to react appropriately. “What if we are being set up?”

“You’re having a rather sinister outlook on humanity there, good sir.” Sypha’s tone had been rather sarcastic, but that just had been a way of the mage to hide her own worries about the situation. “There’s something spooky about it, no doubt, but there is no reason to think that the villagers would lay a trap for us. What reason would they have?”

“Humans don’t always need a reason, Sypha.” Trevor looked up at the mill and shook his head. “There’s nothing in the immediate vicinity of the mill, and that is what worries me. Usually, you would find at least some predatory animals, or some scavengers, who would stick around, in case it is something they can hunt or get some food from. But here, nothing is in sight. Nothing is stirring, and that is the worrying thing about it. Whatever is holed up in that mill is causing the animals to reconsider their usual ways. And if that happens, then something is seriously wrong.”

Alucard quietly nodded in agreement. If there had been nothing to worry about here, then they would have found signs to tell them so. But instead finding even more hints that urged them to be cautious of what they were getting themselves into was giving them all a bad gut feeling. The dhampir looked up at the moon, furrowing his eyebrows. Something about the skies was off tonight, more so than usually, and more so than could be explained by the darkness still radiating from Targoviste. Something was afoot, and that something was trying to lull them into a false sense of security, just before it would strike.

“Wouldn’t it be more prudent to come back during the daytime hours?” Sypha had her hands lifted, already preparing herself for casting spells if need be, but there was a sense of unease which kept her from doing so right away. “I don’t mean to sound defeatist, but it might be the better solution this time.”

“We already were told that it stops during the daytime hours, and that nothing can be found hinting at anything wrong. Except maybe for some things having shifted around during the night. But there is no sign that there is anything that would also come out during sunlight, and that is the thing that really bugs me about it.” Trevor sighed quietly. “We have to go in at night, there is no other way of doing this. I would prefer to have some safety to fall back upon too, but we can’t do anything about it, to my best knowledge.”

Sypha nodded quietly. “And you don’t know what it could be? You know many creatures, but you drew a blank on this one? That is something I barely can imagine happenings.”

Trevor huffed slightly. “As sorry as I am to say it, but yes. I have absolutely no clue why this is all happening, and what could be causing it. Much less what we should be wary of at the time. We need to be cautious, then. We might stumble upon a demon we haven’t encountered yet. And we have seen quite a few already.”

“Don’t remind me.” Alucard gritted his teeth, then drew his sword and took his place next to Sypha, while Trevor had freed Vampire Killer from the loop that kept it attached to his belt. “I have studied what demons could come from the gates, but sadly, only little is known to the effect of what _can’t_ come through the gates.”

Trevor grumbled something under his breath Alucard didn’t quite catch. The hunter looked around again, then took a closer look at the thick wooden door of the mill. He pulled out one of his throwing knives and lifted the latch of the door, which had kept it locked from the inside. The door opened with an ominous creaking sound, which almost made Alucard roll his eyes in annoyance. Whatever was inside was causing even those sounds. According to Trevor, there hadn’t been a sound when the door had been opened during the daytime. The dhampir was not about to believe that the hunter had told a white lie in this regard. It seemed that the demon having taken hold of the mill had a flair for the dramatic, and that was about all of an explanation Alucard could find for that.

The insides of the mill looked different from the day. Trevor immediately tensed, and that told Alucard that they were about to get themselves into something truly mysterious. “Sypha, try to illuminate the surroundings.”

Sypha nodded quietly, then murmured under her breath, until a small light started to flicker in the middle of the room. But no sooner had it done so, when something came forth from the shadows and snuffed out the small magic light. Sypha flinched, surprised that something could simply interrupt her spell, and then gasping. A human-looking man was standing in the middle of the room, having come simply out of nowhere, and grinning at them with a pleased expression. He wore odd clothes, which would have been more befitting for a royal man, but had a certain faded style to them. The shadows twitched around him, and he bowed mockingly, the shadows following his movement for a moment.

“Blackmore.” Alucard recognized the demon standing before them. He looked deceptively human, yes, but his true weak spot was not his physical body. The shadows around them were the true source of his abilities. That would have explained why he had been hesitant to come out during daytime. It would have meant clearly-defined shadows, and less of them than in a mill lit by barely more than the moon shining through an open part of the roof. Sypha wouldn’t have his antics, though, and planted several fire tongues in the room. Blackmore hissed disapprovingly. He could snuff out a small ball of light inconsequentially, but a tongue of fire was an entirely different matter.

“Be wary of his shadows. They are the true source of menace.” Alucard slapped away one that had just tried to grab him. “Trevor, try to pin them down with your throwing knives!”

“On it!” The hunter attempted to, but that was all he could do against the shadows. Blackmore barely flinched when the blades hit where the shadows rested on the underground, but they didn’t recede, nor did they show any kind of damage. They simply would flow apart and form anew. In the darkness of the mill, Alucard noticed that the shadows still were surprisingly well-defined. But that was from his perspective, and thanks to the fire Sypha had conjured. It would without a doubt not be easy to keep track of them throughout the entire fight.

Blackmore unleashed a rapid succession of attacks with his shadows. Pillars of glowering shadows would come from the underground, as would the howling wolves suddenly manifest as physical bodies, rather than flat shadows, and attack the three without mercy. Sypha could fend off a few with fire, but she had to be cautious nonetheless. Inside the mill, she couldn’t freely throw around magic. Too much, and she would set the whole place on fire. That was not their goal, and the village still could use the mill in the future, so it would be beneficial to not destroy this vital part of their daily life in a reckless fight.

The same could not be said for Blackmore. The demon, predictably, showed very little regard for his surroundings. He wasn’t outright destroying them, but the shadows left surprisingly deep marks on the wooden floor and walls already, which caused Alucard to shudder lightly. Whatever Blackmore had done to acquire this power, it was making him a formidable foe indeed. The sheer physical prowess the shadows showed was terrifying enough, but it was even more troubling to see that in turn, physical attacks had nearly no effect on the demon. Instead, it seemed that only Sypha’s magic could harm him, and that was making her the prime target, of course.

“Trevor!”

The hunter had understood immediately. The two men stood in front of Sypha to shield her, while the mage was trying to guard herself and at the same time fling her lightning bolts at Blackmore. The demon cackled, but he was already showing signs that he was growing exhausted. This was giving them hope, but they also knew that they better not be deceived by the puppeteer of shadows. A demon could still have very much power indeed, without having to show that he was still fit to fight for a long time.

Alucard felt a ripping going through his body, and he gave a small gasp of pain. He didn’t want to distract the others, at least that he succeeded in. Sypha flung a pair of sharp icicles at Blackmore and got his human shell pinned, which made a heavy shudder rock through the shadows around them. Trevor lashed out with Vampire Killer, which this time dealt a surprising amount of damage, ripping open the human shell of Blackmore. Beneath the human façade, there was only black, thick goo dripping forward, and the demon’s noises were growing weaker. Even if the body was not the true enemy, it still held together what little control Blackmore retained over his shadows now.

“You won’t escape this time…” Sypha pinned down the outlines of the shadows with needles of pure ice, and Alucard dashed forward, impaling the human shell of Blackmore with his sword. The demon hissed, and lashed out a second time against Alucard. Again, the dhampir flinched, and this time, he couldn’t prevent a pained gasp slipping from his lips. But the shadows were dissipating, and the tongues of fire still illuminating the room were finally revealing a normal, if a little weathered mill, and nothing hinting at a demon having made his home in it.

“This was an unpleasant surprise.” Alucard slowly got up on his feet, but he could already feel that he was not quite alright. Blackmore had injured him quite some, and that would not remain hidden from his comrades for a long time. He grunted, especially when Trevor, without asking, helped him stand more upright. A thought he appreciated, but the dhampir would much rather have slumped over at the moment. It would have made the pain a little more bearable, or at least in his mind, it would have.

“Damned demon brood.” Trevor sighed quietly, then nodded towards Sypha. “Your magic saved our asses here. But I think we can agree that we won’t be coming back here too soon. And it is good to know that Blackmore shows such signs. We should later add it to the compendium.”

Typically, Trevor was blathering. Alucard grinned, even if he still was hurting badly. The hunter was trying to distract all of them from the injuries Alucard had sustained, until it was time for them to be treated. An admirable effort, but Sypha shut it down with a huff and a glare. “Yes, yes, we can do that, but before that, we will be looking for a place to stay, so that I can take care of Alucard. I do hope that you haven’t failed to notice that he was wounded by Blackmore.”

“If I would have, I would have patted his shoulder right now, while wondering what was going on with him.” Trevor rolled his eyes. “Please, Sypha. I know him well enough, and so do you. We both know that when he is giving us this wonderfully toothy grin, something is wrong with him.”

“I think I should give you less clues, then.” Alucard huffed, but still was highly amused, and maybe a little bit flattered that Trevor would notice such small things so easily. It meant that he indeed cared a lot for the dhampir, maybe a little bit more than Alucard would have liked to. They still were in the middle of their battle against Dracula, and that could have severe consequences. If Trevor was to be distracted, that would have fatal consequences along the way, of that he was sure.

“Don’t pull such a grimace, fangs. I could think that you were about to bite me.” Trevor carried him back to the village, much to Alucard’s disgruntlement, and Sypha’s amusement. The hunter would not be deterred, even by Alucard growling. That was quickly shut down by a single remark. “If you keep on growling like that, I’ll put a leash on you, just so that we are clear on this.”

The thought of wearing a collar simply for Trevor’s amusement was odd, and at the same time aggravatingly pleasant in a very strange way. Alucard had a hard time deciding whether to be mad at Trevor for even suggesting something like that, or if she should have been thankful that Trevor, still, wouldn’t give a singular damn about how respectful or disrespectful he was being at this very moment.

“Alright.” Sypha had quickly found a room for them, and then took a look at the wounds Alucard had sustained. The mage grumbled with her eyebrows knitted together, but quickly settled for a thick paste which smelled like elderberries, and a tonic which would help eliminating demonic residue possibly still trapped in Alucard’s wounds. “For being a demon that mostly depends on shadows, Blackmore surely did more damage than I would have expected it to. But alright. I will head out and calm the villagers now. Trevor, you will rest up as well. If I catch the two of you arguing, you both will get the slapping of your life.”

With that, the mage left, leaving Trevor and Alucard to look at each other and consider if it was worth their dignity laughing about Sypha’s threats. She could make them come true, but the thought of her doing so was still amusing. “I think that we will never hear the end of her threats.” Alucard sighed quietly, and finally settled down. With just Trevor present, he felt that he had little to hide. He still wanted to impress (and maybe protect) Sypha along the way, but with Trevor, that story was wildly different.

“I don’t know. Maybe, one distant day, she will stop giving us an earful each and every time we mess up in her opinion. I mean, we are bound to do the right thing at some point, right?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. It is hard to tell with you, Belmont.”

Trevor huffed, shaking his head lightly. “You’re insufferable, even when you’re freshly wounded.” He still had a look of worry cross his face. “But you’re not in too much pain, I hope? I mean, I can’t do much about it, and that is scaring me a little. I don’t want to wait until Sypha returns with that, but at the same time, well, you know.”

“Yes, I do.” Alucard sighed quietly. Sometimes, Trevor’s blathering could get on his nerves, but just tonight, he really needed it, to assure him that everything was alright. He just had slipped up a little. That was all. And he would be up on his feet again in no time, thanks to Sypha’s knowledge, and maybe thanks to the fact that he thought it unacceptable to keep Trevor waiting, and as the only one in charge of protecting Sypha while she cast her spells. Besides, the hunter didn’t have the same silver tongue as the dhampir had, and that would just land them into more trouble with the villagers again. He had not forgotten what Trevor had done to greet him, and that still made him snicker quietly. He should have expected as much from a Belmont, but it still had caught him slightly off guard.

“Alright.” Trevor sat down at the edge of Alucard’s bed, which slightly irritated the dhampir. The hunter was getting cuddly, and that was always a slightly awkward phase. Thankfully, Trevor showed more tact and more understanding of the situation than usually, which meant that he didn’t immediately do anything that would have aggravated the dhampir’s wounds even more. Instead, he was carefully adjusting himself on the bed, until he was stretched out next to Alucard, and offering his body as a source of warmth. As much as the dhampir felt wary about it (and as much as he tried to deny that he liked the idea), he cuddled up to the Belmont eventually, ever mindful to not hurt himself more than necessary.

“You’re such an oaf.”

“And you’re insufferably haughty. But I still love you.”

“Hm.” One day. One day, he would be able to say it.


	8. Fancy Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the first that came to mind, so I made it an AU. Someone is quite eager to experiment, it seems...

_There could have been a time when Dracula hadn’t brought about the hordes of Hell. His family would probably have gone on to become a rather wealthy one, and amongst the finest of the country. And there is a chance that, maybe, the Belmonts would all still have been there, to meet with those families and discuss plans for the further development of Wallachia. A burden that rested upon them all, and sometimes required quite some patience from those not directly involved in the very same discussions._

“I really have to go?” Trevor groaned inwardly and fidgeted with the collar of his dress. It was more fanciful than the battledress of a Belmont, but it still was uncomfortably tights in some places, and made him itch all over. But they had to be at their best when they were to meet the other families. And especially the family that had been making a name for itself for the past years, and finally had decided that it was time to hold a small banquet at their place. It would be much like a ball in some respects, but overall, it was intended to be a lighthearted dinner more than anything else. There would be conversation, food, and drinks. All of which Trevor preferred over a stiffer form of meeting between the families.

“Don’t make a fuss now.” His mother admonishingly patted the back of his head. She would have ruffled his hair otherwise, and she didn’t want to go through the pain to make it look somewhat acceptable. Because of the natural way it would fall, it often looked unkempt. His mother had done her best, but brushing his hair did only so much. So, for now, she had to make do with what she could do, and that was showing patience, even if it was quite strained by now.

Trevor didn’t want to talk against her much more than that. He resigned himself to the fate that it would be a long, and possibly quite boring evening. He had gotten his family into a fair bit of trouble already, and he could do without continuing this tradition tonight. Else, his parents would lose their patience with him completely, and he would quite likely be excluded from any future events. While it sounded tempting, it would also have meant a lot of shame for everyone involved, and that was not exactly his idea of a good time. He would have to be patient, sure, but he rather risked this for a change, and not mess it up at first chance.

The travel to the mansion of the family Tepes was relatively short, and Trevor was shocked to see how big it was. It was easily twice the size of the Belmont mansion, and it made him feel almost inadequate. It was difficult to believe that this was really the residence of a family that just recently came into the spotlight of Wallachia’s society. Trevor had no time to admire the work on the mansion, though, as they soon were ushered in by a butler. There were more wonders waiting for them inside, and as he saw it, this evening would offer plenty of opportunity to sneak around and take a closer look at what the Tepes family lived like.

The ballroom was covered in fine tapestry, with heavy curtains adorning the windows, and a single window at the south end of the room had a window with the most finely-worked glass stain window he ever had seen. It showed the angel Gabriel, who was said to be the gentlest of the archangels, and with a smile that made Trevor think that the image was about to become reality any moment. Whoever had created this had shown remarkable skill.

He did his introductions properly, though during the introductions, he was constantly looking around, taking in the marvels of the ball room. It alone contained so many wonders, it was hard to decide where to look first. His mother seemed to be slightly disapproving of this, but she couldn’t hide either that she was just in awe of what sights the room offered. The tapestry alone was a masterfully worked thing, with a subtle pattern to it that could only be observed in the right angle of light. The lighting again was a masterful work that had been done for the whole room, and showed signs that it had been worked and reworked just for this specific purpose. Trevor waited until the time was appropriate, then he stole away from his family, and began his tour of the ball room, first looking at the glass stain image in front of him. He simply was awed beyond words, and he wanted to see for himself just how much detail had been worked into it. The answer very soon became “incredibly many”.

“I’m surprised you seem to be so smitten with art.” A soft, voice, amused in tone, tore Trevor from his observations. Slightly annoyed, he turned his head, only to look at a man with the most peculiarly pleasant face he had ever seen. The clothing he wore, black and golden in color, suggested readily that he was the son of the house, and Trevor quickly made the proper bow to not seem to be too rude. The man returned the bow, looking up at the window with a pleased smile. “In the sunlight, it would come out all the better, but sadly…” He sighed quietly. “That is a privilege I’m not allowed to have. I have tried, but…”

Trevor was a bit taken aback that the man would be so blunt about his nature. He recalled his name now – Adrian Tepes, the heir to Vlad and Lisa Tepes, and a half-blooded creature. A cross between vampire and human. No one would have thought it possible for Lisa to form Dracula into such a pleasant host, but he supposed that that woman must be some kind of saint to perform such a miracle. And the proof of this connection, in form of their son, just made it even more astonishing.

“It still comes out very well even in the dark.” Trevor looked up at the window again. The creator of the glass stain work had carefully chosen the colors, so that it would not become too much of a same-looking tone in the darkness. It was a little hard to make out everything, but some lights had been placed in the gardens behind the window, so that at least most of the details could be seen. “If I may be so rude, am I correct in assuming that your mother chose the motive?”

“That is correct.” Adrian turned his gaze briefly, and Trevor followed it. Lisa Tepes was standing with a group of women, from all different families. His own mother was amongst them, and they all held polite conversation. “She wished for this to be an occasion for a long time already. My father was initially opposed to it, but he could not deny this wish forever. Mother can be very convincing, if she just wants to be.”

Trevor held back his thoughts on how convincing Lis Tepes had to be, to have a man formerly associated only with unpleasant things turn out to be an overall marvelous character. Instead, he nodded slightly. “I should know, too, how convincing a woman can be if she just has something that she wants to see done. I have seen this for myself.” And his mother could effortlessly bring his father to his knees, if the old warrior refused to listen to her at first. She would simply beat him in a fight, and it was scary to think what a future bride would be in for, with a mother-in-law like that.

Adrian cleared his throat lightly. “Now, I must be a little rude. I was wondering if you would have interest seeing a different part of the mansion? It seems so… wasteful to only show off one room.”

Trevor blinked in surprise, but then nodded faintly. “I don’t think that my mother will be all too happy about it, but I suppose that she won’t have much against it…” He looked towards his family cautiously, but everyone seemed to be quite busy enjoying themselves with various other guests and longwinded conversations, which tip-toed around the actual topics until it was deemed time that it was appropriate to further the conversation to the crucial point. Trevor never had understood the necessity of it, but he followed this principle if he had to, and simply because it was easier than making his parents groan about his impudence all the time.

“I was curious about the rest of the mansion, but if you don’t really want to show me more, then it doesn’t have to be.” Trevor received an amused laughter from Adrian, which made him look at the dhampir in confusion. Had he said something funny? He couldn’t see what was so funny in a polite decline, but he supposed that something about the way he had phrased it just had tickled Adrian’s funny bone.

“I’m terribly sorry… It just sounded a little strange out of your mouth, this overt politeness. It seems to suit you more that you speak your mind directly. But I nevertheless appreciate that you make an effort not to appear rude.” Adrian pulled him away from the ball room, and they soon were in a slightly dim corridor. “Well, with the obligatory excuse out of the way, we should make haste and find the more interesting parts of the mansion. If my father was to find out, he would have a choice of words for me, there is no doubt about that.”

Trevor couldn’t help a small smirk. Despite his attempt at being a bit of a rebellious son, Adrian still seemed very much like the kind of son who would be very concerned with what his parents thought of him. It wasn’t anything bad, but it was about as endearing to Trevor as it had been endearing to Adrian hearing him try and be polite for a change. They looked around, and Adrian led him straight to a part of the mansion that was a good pace away from the ball room. He cautiously felt around, and then produced light. Well, it was how Trevor would have described it anyway. The house of the Tepes was full of strange contraptions, and they all seemed to be geared towards limiting their work around it. As for example lighting candles to make everything brighter. He had heard about it, but experiencing it like that was a whole different thing.

“I don’t know how much interest you have in a library, but I think that it still is one of the more charming parts of the mansion. Father has collected countless volumes from around the world on his travels, and most of them are in languages I don’t understand. It is fascinating here, especially because it seems that there is an endless amount of wisdom just waiting to be discovered here.”

Trevor was not one to read much, but he had to admit that Adrian was right. The collection of books, and the countless languages on the spines of the books were making for a diversion all on its own. Between the books, there were glass containers with strange specimen in them. One contained a snake with a broad head, another contained a plant that looked like a butterfly at first glance. It was incredible what had been assembled here, and Trevor took his time to take it all in. There surely was much more to discover in the mansion, but he had no hurry looking around. Maybe, if he arranged it nicely enough, he could meet with Adrian again, and then there would be a proper time to visit the different rooms of the mansion.

While he was looking around, Trevor was getting the feeling that Adrian was looking very closely at him. At some point, he couldn’t ignore it any longer, and he looked sideways with a questioning expression. The dhampir blushed immediately upon being caught staring, and he cleared his throat and looked away. “Is something the matter?”

“I just was looking closer at your family crest.” Adrian stepped closer, and carefully placed a hand on Trevor’s back. He looked a little lost, but also fascinated. “It just stands out, I think. The other families have very ornate crests, which take ages to study and understand properly. Yours, however…” He hesitated, and his fingers stopped trailing right between Trevor’s shoulder blades. It sent a jolt down Trevor’s spine, and for a moment, he shuddered. “It is simple, yet tells a story. I think that is a good metaphor for your whole family. You seem to have a simple enough objective, but once you start to really look at it, it turns out that you are more intricately connected to everything around us than I would ever have thought.”

Trevor turned around slightly, and Adrian tore himself out of his observations. The dhampir seemed a little flustered, but otherwise, he had caught himself again. He gave an apologetic smile, but Trevor didn’t mind all that much. It was odd, considering that Adrian was half vampire, one of the most dangerous of all predators. Coming to think of it, the whole family Tepes was an interesting addition to the society of Wallachia. There were many who speculated that it would only be wise to treat Dracula as though he was human, but at the same time never forget that he was, in essence, a predator who feasted on human life. While it was a bit of a bind that affected all of them, it still was a question of inclusion to not lock the Tepes family out of the social upper crust of Wallachia.

“Is that really the whole reason why you pulled me away from prying eyes?” Trevor didn’t know why, but he felt like teasing Adrian a little. And it was just too precious to see the dhampir squirm a little. It made him feel like he was in the superior position, and if he didn’t abuse it too much, he could have some fun with the dhampir. “You seemed a little too eager to come here, of all places. I can see why it is a very interesting part of your home, it still is quite an interesting choice…”

Adrian bit his lower lip, and for a moment, he flashed his fangs. He didn’t seem to notice, though, but Trevor made a mental note of it. He had seen how long the fangs of a full-blooded vampire could be, but it didn’t seem like the fangs of a dhampir showed much difference from those of a vampire. It was good to know that it was about as bad an idea to challenge a half-blood as it was to confront a full-blood without thinking.

The dhampir stepped closer, and Trevor remained relaxed, even as the dhampir pressed him up against a wall. He didn’t feel threatened by Adrian, most likely because he didn’t show signs of lashing out. But he still was just a tiny bit wary that something unexpected could happen. After all, he never had interacted with the dhampir before, so it was hard to tell how he would react to any given situation.

“I… must admit that your smell has roused quite the hunger in me. I can’t explain why, and it frankly scares me a little.” Adrian leaned closer, and Trevor could catch a subtle fragrance. It did smell a little of roses, but also ash, and maybe a hit of fire. Probably, he was imagining those things, but he elected to just let it happen. It was nice like this. “My bite can’t turn anyone, and I usually am not so bold to just go out and bite someone who has crossed me. Not that my father would do that either,” he hastily added.

Trevor lifted his hand, and gently placed his fingertips against Adrian’s lips. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. If you want to have a small drink, I’m not opposed to it. Just make sure that it is not too obvious, or someone might think that I have been up to unsavory things, and that would land me in quite the hot water. I would prefer to go a night without giving my parents reason to ground me for a yet to be determined time.”

Adrian chuckled, his lips then teasingly brushing against Trevor’s neck. Trevor found the contact oddly appealing, and a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. Was this the normal reaction? Was it because of something Adrian did to his mind? Or was it his body deciding that it was turned on by fear? He couldn’t tell, and he didn’t care much to ponder this question now, of all times.

“Don’t pull your fangs out too roughly, alright?” Another tease. Just for good measure. “I wouldn’t want to look roughened up after receiving my first bite.”

Adrian laughed lightly, his hand grabbing Trevor by the waist. “You’re making me laugh, and it’s hard to focus on a proper bite when you’re doing that. If it is supposed to be mostly painless, then you better not make even more jokes.”

“Oh, in that case, I better will shut up.” Trevor tried to relax himself, but found himself thrilled and scared at the same time. This probably really wasn’t a normal reaction, but he couldn’t care about it. He felt that he needed this to happen, and no matter what the consequences were if his parents found out, he needed to experience the dhampir up close and personal.

“Just don’t get anything on our clothes…” Trevor muttered, his eyes half closed and a blush developing on his face. He felt like a young boy being with a girl the first time. Maybe, it wasn’t so different with another man…? “We wouldn’t want that to happen, right?”

Adrian laughed lightly, his lips lingering for another moment. “Alright, I will do my best. And I do hope that I won’t scare you off…”


	9. Cooking Together

“We sure are trying to fulfill a tall order here.” Sypha furrowed her eyebrows while she was going through what they needed. Trevor had come up with the idea of wanting to cook for them, and the first thing that he had come up with was the stew that his mother used to make for them, especially after a long, hard day of training. “I don’t know how much meat and vegetables we may find at this time. There are plenty of other worries for the people of the land.”

“I know, but we still have to at least try.” Trevor scratched his cheek, while he slowly looked around the market. “It still looks plenty busy to me. The demon hordes have retreated as of late, but that doesn’t have to mean that the people forgot, of course.”

“Yet they are hungry and need to feed themselves, I know.” Sypha squeezed Trevor’s upper arm a little. “You’re just eager to get cooking. I never saw you look so very eager, so I suppose that it has something to do with Alucard?”

“Now you’re just trying to tease me.” Trevor didn’t look too happy, but he couldn’t help the small blush that appeared on his cheeks. She had hit bull’s eye with her remark, and that was exactly what annoyed him a little. “Let’s just try and find what I need for the stew, alright?”

“Alright.”

Sypha was looking very pleased with herself while they slowly moved along the market. There were many people about, and the air was filled with chatter, both of business and just exchanging the latest of the neighborhood. Trevor did notice that there were some who were excitedly talking about the demons having gone back to the castle, while others seemed to heavily doubt that it was over already. Trevor saw the reasons for both sides to believe in their version of the story, but he had the gut feeling that it would turn out to be just a calm before another storm.

“Now that I’m thinking about it…” Sypha’s voice turned his attention back to the female. “Can Alucard eat human meals?” She had spoken in a low voice, so that not all around them would look at them funny. “We never asked him, did we?”

“No, not exactly.” Trevor groaned softly. “I completely forgot about it. I just kind of assumed he has to be able to, you know? Since he is at least half human, that must mean that he can at least deal with some of the human food we also eat.”

“That is your theory. And sadly, I have no way of confirming or denying it. There is no one like Alucard in the history of Wallachia, and probably the world, for that matter. It’s not like a bloodhungry demon to suddenly decide that he needs to father a half human child.”

Trevor blinked at Sypha, who was soon blushing a dark red. “Did you really just say that? I’m really glad that we are away from Alucard. That might have earned you a death glare, and you know how well he can pull it off.”

“I know.” Sypha still looked deeply ashamed, and Trevor thought that she better ought to be. The sudden outburst of from her side had left an uneasy feeling with him. Sypha usually was the brain of the whole group, so it was bad to see her snap at such an occasion. They continued on their way towards the market, thankful for the knowledge that none of the villagers had heard too well what they had been talking about. It would have turned out to be quite the feat to explain away what they had been talking about otherwise. It did give Trevor food for thought, however. Just how human was Alucard’s body?

While they were collecting the necessary meat and the different types of vegetable they needed for the stew, the question wouldn’t leave Trevor alone. Even the Speakers had no stories to fall back on in this case, and he had a feeling that Alucard wouldn’t be able to tell them precisely either. Depending on how his childhood had been, it could have been that he had gotten more of a vampiric or more of a human diet. They never had asked, simply because it was hard to ask without making the dhampir feel pressured to give an answer to something that he didn’t like thinking about.

“I think we have everything.” Sypha checked their collection of colorful vegetables. “I was surprised that some of those cost so much. Are they really so very rare?”

“Yes, some of them, and not all of them are all that easy to grow, even around this part of Wallachia.” Trevor smiled to himself. “But it is good to see this state of normality amidst all of that chaos. My father was right. Even if there are unspeakable things going on, in some parts, the life of humans will go on as normal. I just hope that we can return this feeling to all of the land at some point.”

“We will be able to, I’m sure of it.” Sypha smiled brightly at Trevor. “And now we should go back, or else Alucard will start to do strange things just to quell his boredom. I know that he is nothing like you in that respect, but I also have the sneaking suspicion that you might have rubbed off on him.”

“You’re just trying to get a rise out of me now. I can just feel that mischievous streak of you breaking through.” Trevor rolled his eyes lightly. “And you still have the nerve to say that I’m not able to be the reasonable one.”

“I never claimed that. Well, not directly. But I suppose that it came through on occasion. Nevertheless, we really should head back. Else, we will have midnight before we can get something to eat.”

Sypha pushed Trevor along, strangely impatient now to get back. Trevor didn’t talk against it, but he still had the suspicion that she would try to tease him about something in the near future. He didn’t hold up well to teasing, especially not when it was somehow connected to Alucard. And since the three of them had a lot of time to spend together, there was a certain inevitability in Sypha’s remarks towards him and the dhampir. She happily chattered about how much she was looking forward to the stew now, which was a welcomed change from her previous remarks. This made dealing with the slight embarrassment from earlier a lot easier.

“You two have returned.” Alucard looked mildly surprised that it had taken them so long, but only mildly. He still was rather tired, and he blinked slowly when he understood that they had been at the market to buy quite some ingredients. “May I ask what all of this is for?”

“Trevor promised to cook stew for us, and we had to get all those things to make that come true. I think that he would be rather happy to have you help him, too.”

Before Trevor had time to protest, a smile spread on Alucard’s face, which was a contrast to his tired expression from before. “I’ll gladly help along. I just need to wake up properly first. And I’m curious what a Belmont can cook. Seeing that they are usually not really the cooks of Wallachia, but rather the dangerous warriors.”

Trevor rolled his eyes about Alucard and Sypha both laughing at him. They could have their fun, but he would make sure that they would apologize later on, when he proved that he could do more than get them into trouble, fight, and be a nuisance. He didn’t wait for too long for Alucard, since there was still much to prepare before the actual cooking could get underway. While he stood in the kitchen, Trevor whistled lightly as he laid everything out on the table and tried to remember what sequence the vegetables and the meat usually were cooked in, so that he would have the least work with all of it.

As he was cleaning and peeling the vegetables, Alucard came into the kitchen, watching him with interest and intent as he was going about his business. The dhampir hesitated for a while, then he washed his hands and started preparing the meat. Trevor recognized his movements as a little hesitant, but still the movements of someone who had a clue about what he was doing. Alucard had helped out before, it showed. But that still wasn’t a definitive answer to whether or not he was able to eat human food. Trevor assumed he had to be able to, since Alucard hadn’t indicated otherwise when the mention of cooking had come up.

“It has been some time since I have worked like that. I apologize in case I’m holding everything up.” Alucard seemed rather self-conscious about it, so Trevor shook his head gently. “It’s not annoying for you?”

“No, why should it be? You’re putting in effort. And besides, I’m just preparing everything, not doing any actual cooking yet.” He had set up a cauldron with water, but before they would cook the stew in there, he would have to fry everything so that the taste would come out better. “I will start complaining early enough, so don’t worry about it.”

Alucard had to laugh at that, and he didn’t calm down for quite a while. Trevor just kept on working calmly. If he hurried up now, he would just be unsatisfied with the result, and it was most likely then that he would make some mistake after the preparations were over. He began humming again after a while, a little absent-minded while he was cutting some soft spots from a carrot. For having had such a hard time growing the vegetables, the farmers had still done an amazing job. Trevor nodded to himself while he cut the carrot up. When he had been a young boy, he had regarded these things as rather normal, even to be expected of the farmers. After his father had put him through his training and showed him just how much work it took to make something grow, or grow as a person, he had started looking at things differently.

“How did you get the idea into your head that you had to cook for us for a change?” Alucard had apparently started wondering what had even caused all of this to take place exactly like it did now. “I just want to say, Sypha usually is perfectly fine with what the farmers might give us, and with what she comes up with. But I’m not complaining that you’re taking this chance to whip up something delicious.”

“I just thought it might be a nice gesture.” Trevor shrugged lightly. He hadn’t thought much more of it really. It was just a nice gesture, aimed at making his friends feel appreciated. It was not an attempt to make himself feel better about something, or prove that he belonged with the others. No, it was simply the thought that it wasn’t such a bad idea to take over this responsibility.

“I see.” Alucard seemed genuinely surprised, but also touched by those words. Trevor was already growing a little embarrassed that this was the reaction he was getting. As he had thought to himself, it wasn’t such a big deal. Cooking took up time and patience, and always letting it fall onto one person simply was wrong. But that it would be such an unusual thing for the others was mildly embarrassing nonetheless.

Trevor then looked over the meat, furrowing his eyebrows a little. “It’s more sinewy than I would have liked it.” He sighed, but shook his head. “It’s of no consequence. Cutting away more would make the whole thing a waste. Cooking it long enough should do the trick. The stew should make this edible.”

Alucard nodded faintly, apparently rather fascinated by Trevor’s musings. The hunter looked up at the dhampir, mildly confused, and earned another round of light laughter. “I’m sorry, it is just so unusual to hear you talking this way. It reminds me of my mother, though.” For a brief time, a thoughtful expression appeared on Alucard’s face, but at least, it didn’t dissolve into sadness. “I do kind of feel a little bad that I never offered to help her really. She did invite me into the kitchen to see how everything works, but I always thought it rather boring-looking. Little did I know that the end results could be quite out of this world.”

Trevor snickered, nodding to himself. “Yes, it’s amazing what the right ingredients and just the right recipe can do. But it also takes a lot of practice to get to that point. I had to help my mother on several occasions, and I did so gladly, I have to say.” He smiled to himself while he fanned the fire a little, making sure that the heat was still enough to keep everything going. “Cooking connects on a level barely anything else can. I can’t think of the times it turned my father’s mood from gloomy to absolutely delighted. Mother knew how to turn him into a happy man every single time.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Alucard had said it without the slightest hint of jealousy. He genuinely was happy for Trevor. “Was this on your mind because it could connect us three even more?”

Trevor tilted his head to the side, thinking about it. “No, not really. I mean, it should be something normal to take care of his friends, right? And I don’t feel like I need to prove that point. I just thought that it would be nice to have a stew. With the nights growing colder and longer, it is just the right thing for us right now.”

“That much is true.” Alucard turned back towards the food, and together, they began cooking and frying everything. The meat turned out to be a little more difficult to handle than Trevor had expected it to, even with having discovered that it was sinewy. It tested his patience a little, but he had promised himself to not become impatient and angry about something he had control over. He could make sure that it still would turn out to be a delicious meal, so he had to work with patience and a calm mind. Losing his mind over it would surely ruin everything.

Alucard got a little cuddly when they filled everything into the caldron and let it simmer for the moment. He wrapped his arms around Trevor, which caused the hunter to shiver lightly about how close the dhampir was pressed to him. He looked back at Alucard with a puzzled look, and was surprised to find the dhampir with a smirk on his face that promised a devious plan.

“You’re not going to make me your meal.” Trevor didn’t do anything to wrench himself out of Alucard’s grasp, but he felt he still had to clarify a point. “We are going to have a nice stew soon, so there is no need for you to get in a snack before eating properly. I just wanted to make sure of that in every way possible.”

“I don’t think of you as a snack, my dear hunter. You’re a full buffet more likely.” Alucard’s voice had become a purr. “I think I will keep this thought in mind until after dinner. I wouldn’t want to have your wrath fall upon me, for having caused so much work and having eaten little.”

Trevor sighed quietly, then he looked back and gave the dhampir a small glare. “I warn you. If you think that I’m all mellow today, just because I thought it would be nice to mix things up, then you’re sorely mistaken. We won’t rest after dinner. Not for long at least. As soon as we have had a chance to digest our dinner a little, we will have a spar. And this time, I won’t have you quit preemptively, my dear dhampir. You will have to stick to it for a long time.”

“I’m already shivering with anticipation.” Alucard grinned and then separated himself from Trevor, but not before he earned himself a hit to the chest. “That was uncalled for.”

“Your teasing was, my dear little bloodsucker. And now we both sit down and calm down, else we will have a fight on our hands before dinner is served, and then Sypha will have to take care of everything again. That wouldn’t be exactly what I had planned this evening to become, and I’m done with not having control over my evening program.”

“Fair enough.” Alucard took a seat at the kitchen table, and Trevor sat down at the opposite side. But they still both wore a grin on their faces, because they knew they would give each other a hard time once they were sparring. Sypha entered the kitchen, finding them in this weird position, and after a moment of confused silence, she gave a deep sigh. “You both are confusing me to no end. But I suppose that you had a nice conversation while you were cooking?”

“Something like that, yes.” Alucard stretched like a happy cat, and flashed Sypha one of his signature grins, which of course turned the Speaker’s cheeks red and her knees to butter. She waved his hand in a gesture that apparently was supposed to express how embarrassed she felt about all of this, but really showed that she didn’t mind the flirtatious streak that much.

Trevor rolled his eyes about it, but he was secretly rather amused that Alucard could wrap Sypha around his little finger all that easily. He was just a charming, devilishly good-looking man, and it showed every single time he was acting a little more flirtatious. Oh, he would so beat this dhampir’s ass in their upcoming spar…


End file.
